University of Bath-based athletes dominate Bath Chronicle Sports Awards shortlist

24 September 2015

A host of sportspeople with University of Bath links have been shortlisted for the 2015 Bath Chronicle Sports Awards.

All three candidates in both the Professional and Disabled Sports Performer of the Year categories train or trained at the Sports Training Village.

Swimmer Jay Lelliott, a Sports Performance student at the University, is in the running for the main Sports Personality of the Year prize and Team Bath Tennis is a contender for Community Club of the Year.

In a year that has seen the world-class London 2012 Legacy Pool open at the Sports Training Village, it is no surprise to see swimming so well represented on the awards shortlist.

Lelliott, part of University of Bath head swimming coach Mark Skimming’s training group, excelled at the World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea.

The Santander Sports Scholar won 400m freestyle gold for Great Britain and also smashed the English record as he finished runner-up over 800m. He is taking a year off studies to focus on earning a place at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

It has also been a big year for the athletes in the British Swimming National Training Centre (NTC) at the University of Bath, with seven of them qualifying for the World Championships in Russia.

Three of them – Calum Jarvis, Chris Walker-Hebborn and Siobhan-Marie O’Connor – won relay titles, while there were individual medals for O’Connor and Jazz Carlin.

That success has seen the NTC short-listed alongside Bath Rugby, Bath Rugby Ladies and Bath City FC in the Senior Team of the Year category.

NTC Head Coach Dave McNulty is in the Coach of the Year reckoning and O’Connor is short-listed for the Professional Sports Personality prize.

Joining her on the list are rower Helen Glover and skeleton star Lizzy Yarnold, both of whom are reigning Olympic Champions and were crowned as World and European Champions during 2015.

Glover, a Minerva Bath RC patron, started her glittering career with the GB Rowing Team Start Programme at the University, while Yarnold trains with the Bobsleigh Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association at the Sports Training Village.

The contenders in the Disability Sports Performer of the Year category are wheelchair fencer Piers Gilliver, badminton player Bobby Griffin and athlete Sophie Kamlish.

Gilliver, who moved his training base to the University this year after receiving funding from UK Sport’s World Class Programme, is ranked number one in the world in 2015 after winning four international epee gold medals and a silver at the recent World Championships.

Griffin trains once a week with the Team Bath Futures programme, under the guidance of University head coach Pete Bush, and won a silver medal with doubles partner Dan Bethell at the recent BWF Para-Badminton World Championships.

Kamlish, coached by Rob Ellchuk at the Sports Training Village, has run the third-fastest T44 100m time in the world this year and will be looking for a medal when she represents Britain at next month’s IPC World Championships in Doha.

The outstanding work done by Team Bath Tennis’ coaches to introduce local youngsters to the game and develop their talent has seen them short-listed for the coveted Community Club of the Year accolade.

Team Bath Netball Club’s U16 regional team are in contention for the Junior Team of the Year prize and international trampolinist Corey Walkes, who does some of his training at the University, is in the reckoning for Young Sports Personality of the Year.

The winners will be announced during a ceremony at Bath Racecourse on Wednesday, November 11. Click here for more information and the full list of nominees.

 

Sponsors
Partners and Suppliers