VIDEO: Rio-bound Joe Choong on why University of Bath is ideal choice for student-athletes

20 July 2016

Rio-bound pentathlete Joe Choong says he would “really recommend the University of Bath to all student-athletes” after successfully managing the demands of his academic and sporting careers to achieve Olympic Games selection.

The Pentathlon GB athlete will become the latest in a long line of University of Bath students to compete at a Games when he heads to Rio 2016 next month.

The first was David Hembrow back in 1968, the Statistics student and swimmer narrowly missing out on a 4x100m medley relay medal in Mexico City.

More recently Ben Rushgrove won a T36 100m silver medal at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games while studying Sports Performance, a Foundation Degree that enables students to integrate sports training and academic study.

Swimmer Michael Jamieson was also studying Sports Performance when he won 200m breaststroke silver at the London 2012 Olympic Games, a result matched by then French & Politics student Samantha Murray in modern pentathlon.

Now Choong, a Mathematics student supported by an Ivor Powell Sports Scholarship, is set to continue that proud tradition when the men’s modern pentathlon is contested in Rio on August 18 and 20.

The 21-year-old’s career has gone from strength to strength since he moved to the University in 2013 and, as Choong explains in this video, he believes the world-class set-up at Bath has helped him thrive on both the sporting and academic stages.

The University of Bath provides practical and financial support for student-athletes to ensure they meet their twin demands.

It was the first UK university to offer sports scholarships, supported by alumni and friends of the University who are passionate about giving talented young people the opportunity to benefit from Bath’s world-leading sporting and academic environment.

The Dual Career Programme, meanwhile, is designed to suit each student-athletes’ individual needs both now and in the future by providing relevant training, educational workshops and online learning, as well as one-to-one mentoring and lifestyle support. A Dual Career athlete pass allows free access to facilities in the Sports Training Village and reduced rates for sports services like massage and physiotherapy.

Applications for the 2016-17 Dual Career Programme will open on August 17 and more information is available by clicking here.

Find out more about studying at the University of Bath by visiting http://www.bath.ac.uk/study/

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