Snowboarder Jamie prepares for World Winter University Games
University of Bath student and twice British junior snowboard cross champion Jamie Barrow is fine-tuning his preparations to make his World University Winter Games debut in Turkey later this month.
The 18-year-old Sports Performance student is a member of the British team competing at the Games, which take place in Erzurum from 27 January to 6 February.
Jamie, who was joint winner of the University of Bath’s 2010 Santander Outstanding Sportsman Fresher of the Year award, is currently training with the British team at Morzine/Avoriaz in France ahead of the Games. The Swiss-born second-year student has been given permission to delay one of his second-year exams so he can compete at the Games.
He travels to Turkey hoping to secure a podium place at his first World Winter University Games.
“Some of the top riders on the world tour are of around my age. Many of them will be at university and so will be able to compete at the Games, so it should be a very high standard,” said Jamie, who receives a TASS (Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme) scholarship.
“I should get into the final-32, I’d be really disappointed if I didn’t,” he added. “A good result for me would be to get into the last-16, and once you’re there, you can’t really predict what’s going to happen. If I can get through that, hopefully there’s a chance I could get a medal.”
Snowboard cross is an exciting winter sports competition that sees athletes race against the clock around a course for a place in the last-32 knockouts. It’s then a four-person race, with the first two progressing to the next round.
Jamie is resisting the lure of a third successive British junior title this year and is instead targeting the senior competition at the British Championships for the first time this season.
In the longer term he has his sights set on representing Great Britain at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. If selected he would be the first British male snowboard cross athlete to compete at an Olympic Winter Games since the sport made its Olympic debut at Torino in 2006.
The qualifying round of the snowboard cross competition at the World Winter University Games takes place on 29 January, with the heats progressing through to the finals on 30 January.
Jamie does his summer training at the University of Bath before heading out to the snow in the winter.
The University of Bath is also home to the British Skeleton programme, including Sports Performance graduate and Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games skeleton gold medallist Amy Williams. Last year British Bobsleigh also announced their return to train at the University of Bath.
Members of the media who require further information can contact the TeamB ath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd on (01225) 383518 or 01225 443998 or see the Team Bath website.
