University of Bath sport scholar Tom Edwards became British champion in 2015, has since won multiple Welsh titles and in January rose to number one in the UK's epee fencing rankings - all while studying a full-time degree. His rise from 12th in the country to top spot may be attributed to a number of different factors, including a specialised training programme which has seen the 23-year old train with Olympic athletes from Pentathlon GB, whose...
Italian-born Ilaria Brandimarte was just nine years old when she first became a synchronised swimming national champion. Since then, she has gone on to win an outstanding haul of senior national championships medals, including seven at the 2015 ASA National Championships, and is in the process of gaining a British passport in order to be involved with GB Synchro. But for now, her attention is turned to establishing Team Bath Synchro Club - the first...
When her former netball Superleague club Yorkshire Jets announced its decision to wind up in late 2016, England U21 star Imogen Allison became one of the league's most sought-after players. At just 18, Allison had already gained international experience with the national set-up and had been involved in both an U17 Netball Europe and an U21 Australia tour. With clubs up and down the country after her services, she chose Team Bath - a testament...
Champions aren't made in the gym. When promising young modern pentathlete Sarah Collin suffered a stress fracture in her hip, the real test of her character began. Collin, who moved to the University of Bath to join the Pentathlon GB setup, had won an international medal after being in the sport for as little as a year and her talent was identified by coaches keen for her to fulfill her potential. She made her move...
It is the groundbreaking talent identification and development scheme that set double Olympic Champions Heather Stanning and Helen Glover on their way to becoming two of Britain’s greatest-ever sportswomen. Now the GB Rowing Team Start Programme based at the University of Bath has an exciting, ambitious group of emerging rowers keen to follow in their wake as attention turns to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and beyond. Training and racing alongside students in the University...
Outstanding success at the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games plus the visit of sporting and actual royalty ensured that the University of Bath’s 50th anniversary was celebrated in fitting style during 2016. When the University received Royal Charter status on October 25, 1966, there were no sporting facilities on the Claverton Down campus. Five decades later, it has developed into what Director of Sport Stephen Baddeley believes is “the most vibrant, exciting and dynamic sporting...
Put yourself in the shoes of an athlete heading to a major Games: you're weeks away from potentially the biggest competition of your life, you're up against the most successful rivals in the world and all you want to do is train as hard as you can in order to give your event the best shot possible. There's only one problem: training harder than ever severely runs the risk of injury. The specialists in charge...
Nutrition's critical relationship with athlete performance has heightened in focus over the past decade and at major events such as Rio 2016, its role in athlete preparation is demonstrated on the world stage. Athletes such as modern pentathlete Joe Choong, who begins his Olympic Games on Thursday (August 18), bases his training regime around a dedicated and tailored diet - something he believes can't be overstated in importance when competing at the top level. "I believe nutrition is...
From sport psychologists to specialised coaching techniques which replicate the pressure of competition, University of Bath-based athletes dedicate an immense amount of time to preparing for the clinical moments faced at an Olympic Games. Having the mental edge can often separate champions from participants and later this week University of Bath-based modern pentathletes, including world number one Jamie Cooke, will have their psychological toughness challenged in arguably one of the most mentally testing events of the...
The world class facilities at the Sports Training Village today welcomed the South West's top young sporting talent as part of Sport England's School Games Festival. School pupils from Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucester who had qualified through previous competitions took part in the regional event, which was organised by the West of England Sports Trust (Wesport). The event was opened by London 2012 shooter Georgina Geikie - the...
