The University of Bath congratulates Olympic gold-medallist Kate French, who has today announced her retirement from modern pentathlon, on an outstanding sporting career. French, who competed at three Olympics and famously won the women’s title in record-breaking fashion at the rescheduled Tokyo Games in 2021, has been a valued member of the high-performance sport environment at Team Bath for the past 15 years, as both a student and Pentathlon GB athlete. Stephen Baddeley, Director of...
Double Paralympic Champion Dimitri Coutya, who trains at the University of Bath, has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours 2025 for his services to fencing. The wheelchair fencer enjoyed an outstanding Paris 2024 Paralympic Games which saw him win gold in both the Category B foil and epee, as well as silver and bronze in the team events with Piers Gilliver and Oliver Lam-Watson. [caption id="attachment_71316" align="alignright" width="292"] David McNulty received his...
Olympic and Paralympic success in Paris is just one of the highlights of a truly monumental year of sport at the University of Bath. World Cup victories, European crowns, groundbreaking international debuts, emotional reunions, national accolades, innovative new partnerships and an extensive gym refurbishment are also among the many high points from an action-packed 2024. In total athletes brought 93 senior international medals back to their Team Bath training base, 17 of which were secured...
Double Olympian Jamie Cooke, who became World and European modern pentathlon champion while training at the University of Bath, is returning to Pentathlon GB as its new Head of Performance. Will Brown is also joining the National Governing Body as Chief Executive Officer at the start of the LA 2028 Olympic cycle and a new era for the sport as it transitions from horse riding to obstacle course racing (OCR). Cooke, who competed at Rio...
A Paris 2024 pentathlete, history-making artistic swimmer and aspiring Olympians in athletics, hockey, sailing and swimming are among an impressive 11 University of Bath student-athletes to be awarded sporting scholarships for the 2024-25 academic year. Charlie Brown, Ranjuo Tomblin, Justin Davies, Patrick McElhinney, Oscar Cawthorne, Joshua Gammon, Dylan Registe and Matt Ward will all benefit from a cash award to help them meet the demands of training, competing and studying at an elite level. Netballer...
Five Paris 2024 medallists were among the Olympians and Paralympians whose achievements were celebrated at a special homecoming reception at the University of Bath. The athletes all train, study or studied at the University, one of the country’s leading institutions for high-performance sport, and were joined at the gathering by staff, coaches and civic representatives from Bath and Somerset. Double Paralympic Champion Dimitri Coutya (wheelchair fencing) and Olympic gold-medallist Kieran Bird (swimming) were in attendance...
Another historic year for University of Bath sporting scholar Kate Shortman and partner Izzy Thorpe was recognised when they once again shared the Artistic Swimming Athlete of the Year honour at The Aquatics GB Awards 2024. Bill Whiteley Scholar Shortman, who studies International Management and Modern Languages (French), and Thorpe claimed Britain's first-ever Olympic and World Championship medals in the duet events during an incredible year. The stunning artistic swimming achievements of Shortman and Thorpe...
The Government’s commitment to a £344million investment into Olympic and Paralympic sports over the next four-year cycle, announced in this week's Budget, has been welcomed by UK Sport and its partners, including the University of Bath. It is the equivalent of an extra £9 million a year on Paris-cycle funding levels and Sally Munday, CEO of UK Sport (pictured), said: “We are confident that the amount announced, alongside the excellent support provided by The National...
After a stunning summer of success for University of Bath sporting scholars, past and present beneficiaries of the programme joined current and prospective donors for a special celebration event at Rengen House. Four of the six medals won by University-associated athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games went to student-athletes who have been supported in their dual careers by scholarships – Tom Dean (swimming, gold, Bill Whiteley Scholarship), Prisca Awiti-Alcaraz (judo, silver, King Scholarship), Kate...
Paris 2024 Olympians and Paralympians who train, study or studied at the University of Bath were guests of honour when Bath Rugby beat Northampton Saints 38-16 in the opening match of the 2024-25 Gallagher Premiership. Becky Wilde, who won rowing bronze on her Olympic debut, and para-badminton silver-medallist Dan Bethell, a lifelong Bath Rugby fan, took part in a half-time Q&A at The Rec along with modern pentathlete Charlie Brown, who studies Sports Management and...
