A host of Olympic, Paralympic and world-class sports people gathered at the University of Bath on Wednesday to take part in the British Athletes Commission’s first Athletes Day. Up-and-coming stars across a wide range of sports – from football to fencing, swimming to sailing, dressage to diving – also attended the event which focused on dealing with sponsors, agents and the media. The day was run by Anna Watkins, the rower who famously won double...
Sir David Tanner, Britain’s rowing chief, has hailed the World Championships women’s pair gold won by University of Bath graduate Heather Stanning and Bath Minerva’s Helen Glover as “one of the best GB performances of all-time”. “That was utterly exceptional”, said Tanner of the pairs dominant race to gold, holding off New Zealand and the USA. Gold for Glover and Stanning on the world stage can sometimes be taken for granted. The Olympic, World and...
Team Bath Judo's Ben Fletcher built on his first-ever Grand Prix medal in July by reaching the last-16 at the 2015 World Judo Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. Fletcher's progress, which was ended by eventual-finalist German Frey Karl-Richard, meant he has now earned enough qualification points to book a spot in the 'green zone' for Olympic qualifying - occupied by athletes who are in a direct qualification position. 23-year-old Fletcher, who trains under Juergen Klinger at...
Badminton player Angus Pedersen, a first-year Chemical Engineering student, was one of five University of Bath students to compete at the World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea this summer. Here Pedersen, a Dual Career athlete who is supported by a Trendell Sports Scholarship, looks back on a memorable experience – and tells us why he would recommend the experience to all student athletes… One week before the deadline for the application to the World...
University of Bath-based athlete Eilidh Child won a superb bronze medal in the 4x400m relay on the final day of the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China. Child, coached by Malcolm Arnold at the Sports Training Village, made up the Great Britain quartet along with Christine Ohuruogu, Anyika Onuora, and Seren Bundy-Davies. Fighting off a strong-finishing Russian team, they crossed the line in a season's best of 2:23.62, with Jamaica and USA picking up...
A “do or die” effort from University of Bath graduate Lawrence Clarke wasn’t quite enough to secure a place in the 110m hurdles final at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing. Clarke, coached by Malcolm Arnold at the Sports Training Village, got off to a flying start in Thursday’s semi-final and was well placed in third after 60m. However, he couldn't maintain that pace and hit the last hurdle, causing him to lose his balance...
University of Bath-based athlete Eilidh Child finished sixth in the women’s 400m hurdles final at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Beijing. Danny Talbot ran a new personal best in a 200m semi-final won by Usain Bolt and fellow graduate Lawrence Clarke secured his place in the 110m hurdles semis. Child, coached by Malcolm Arnold at the Sports Training Village, ran a solid race but stuttered coming around the top bend and lost ground. She...
University of Bath students George Lavender and Abi Masters flew out to Africa this week to take part in the Zambia IDEALS programme. They are the second pair of students – following on from Alice Evans and Jade Traynor – to participate in the scheme this year, which sees student volunteers deliver PE lessons in Zambian schools and villages as well as set up sporting competitions between neighbouring communities. University of Bath Director of Sport...
University of Bath-based athlete Eilidh Child will contest the women’s 400m hurdles final at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Beijing after enduring a nervous wait in the semi-finals. Child, coached by Malcolm Arnold at the Sports Training Village, needed a top-two finish in the Bird’s Nest Stadium on Monday to automatically qualify and was well placed coming off the last hurdle. However, she lost momentum and finished third behind Cassandra Tate of the USA...
Kate French earned a Rio 2016 Olympic Games qualification place and there was team gold for Pentathlon GB as a world-class Modern Pentathlon European Championships concluded in fitting style at the University of Bath. Sports Performance graduate French went into the combined event 15th overall but produced a fantastic performance, missing just one shot, to secure the top-eight finish she needed. “I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet but I am so pleased,” she...
