First finals on the board for University of Bath-based swimmers on busy first day of competition in Paris
University of Bath-based swimmers Freya Anderson, Tom Dean and Jacob Whittle contested their first finals of the week as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games fully got under way on Saturday.
Dean and Whittle, both members of the hugely-successful Aquatics GB Bath Performance Centre squad coached by David McNulty, teamed up with Matt Richards – formerly of Bath – and Duncan Scott to place fifth in an outstanding men’s 4x100m freestyle relay final.
That came after training partner Anderson had anchored the Team GB women’s 4x100m freestyle quartet – led off by Sport and Exercise Science alumna Anna Hopkin – to seventh place in 3:35.25.
University of Bath Swimming Club’s Ridhwan Mohamed, who studies Automotive Engineering with Business Management and is coached by Andrei Vorontsov, was the first Bath-based swimmer in action at the Games and was just shy of his 400m freestyle personal best as he touched the wall in 4:05.14.
Bath Performance Centre swimmer Kieran Bird, at his second Olympic Games, clocked 3:47.54 in the final heat to place 16th overall in a highly-competitive field.
Over at the Nautical Stadium, Sport and Social Sciences graduate Becky Wilde and rowing partner Mathilda Hodgkins-Byrne booked their place in Tuesday’s women’s double scull semi-finals by finishing a comfortable second in their heat, clocking 6:52.31.
The first University of Bath athlete to compete at Paris was Swedish equestrian Sofia Sjostrom, who studies Integrated Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and is supported by the Student Performance Sport Breakthrough Programme.
She began her three-day eventing campaign at the Château de Versailles in the dressage, scoring 33.30 penalty points to sit 33rd in the individual competition ahead of Sunday’s cross country stage.
After making her first Olympic appearance, Sjoborg spoke to Horse and Hounds about the experience and studying at the University of Bath – click here to read the interview.
Click here to see when the University of Bath-associated athletes are in action at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Top picture: Jacob Whittle in relay action. CREDIT: Sam Mellish/Team GB
