Enfield's Rhys Thompson insists the lessons he learned while winning a silver medal at the Sainsbury’s 2014 School Games will help him on his way to achieving his Olympic dream.

Thompson fought his way to the final of the boys +81kg judo category at the Amaechi Centre in Manchester but the 18-year-old was narrowly defeated by Valentino Volante.

However, the former Ashmole Academy pupil, who is a member of Enfield Judo Club, was cheered by his performance during the Games and is already looking to the future.

“I’m fairly pleased to pick up a silver medal,” said Thompson, who lives in Southgate. “I made a mental mistake in the final that cost me the match but overall I’m happy.

“I think I’ve learned how to prepare from being at the Games – it’s a massive part of competing and obviously at a multi-sport Games, it’s important to balance your time with the nutritional side of things to perform at your best.

“The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo is my aim but we’ll see how it goes – I’m off to study sport and exercise science at Loughborough University this year, so that will be interesting.

“I’ve got the nationals coming up in a couple of months, so my training is geared towards that at the moment.”

Thompson’s Enfield clubmate Wesley Greenidge was also competing in the +81kg category at the Games and the 16-year-old secured bronze on the day.

And Greenidge, who lives in Edmonton, has got his sights firmly set on represent Great Britain at the highest level after finishing behind Thompson and Volante in Manchester.

“What I can take away from the Games is that I shouldn’t rush my throws and I need to control my grips,” said the Enfield Grammar School pupil.

“If I can do that, we’ll see how far I can go. I’m hoping to go professional in the long-term and Tokyo 2020 is definitely in my mind.

“But in the short-term I’ve got a couple of competitions and then it’s the nationals. They’re my next goal.”

The Sainsbury’s 2014 School Games, which is supported by National Lottery funding from Sport England and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust, was held in venues across Manchester from 4-7 September 2014. Visit www.2014schoolgames.com for more information.