Rio 2016 stars and MJ Church ambassador named on World Class athletics programme
Seven Rio Olympic and Paralympic track and field stars based at the University of Bath have been selected by British Athletics for the Olympic and Paralympic World Class Performance Programmes (WCPP) in 2016-17.
Rising star David King, a Sports Performance graduate and ambassador for Team Bath’s partners MJ Church, is also among the 118 elite athletes who will receive support from the National Lottery-funded WCPP during the season ahead.
Paul Blake – coached by Rob Ellchuk and winner of T36 400m gold and 800m silver in Rio – is once again selected on the Paralympic Podium programme for athletes with the potential to win medals at the London 2017 World Championships and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Training partner Sophie Kamlish, who set a new T44 100m world record in Rio, is named on the Paralympic Podium Potential programme along with Polly Maton, who is coached by Colin Baross at the Sports Training Village and made her Paralympic Games debut this summer.
On the Olympic Podium Potential programme are Andrew Pozzi and Jazmin Sawyers, reigning British Champions in the 110m hurdles and long jump respectively, plus hurdler King – coached by James Hillier – who narrowly missed out on Olympic qualification during an impressive 2016 season.
Eilidh Doyle, coached by Malcolm Arnold, and Emily Diamond are once again on the WCPP in the relay squads – they helped Great Britain win 4x400m gold at the European Championships and bronze at the Olympic Games this year. The reigning British Champions, in the 400m hurdles and 400m respectively, are joined by Biochemistry graduate Kirsten McAslan.
Sports Performance graduate Danny Talbot, who competed in the 200m at Rio 2016, is also in the men’s 4x100m relay squad along with Joel Fearon, who trains with the University of Bath-based British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association and is hoping to compete at both the bobsleigh and athletics World Championships in 2017.
The Sports Training Village is proud to host a British Athletics training squad, one of 12 national governing bodies the University of Bath enjoys a strong partnership with.
