University of Bath-based wheelchair fencer Piers Gilliver moved closer to Rio 2016 Paralympic Games qualification by winning epee bronze at the Sharjah World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The 21-year-old’s latest international medal success – his fifth during the Rio qualification period – ensured he remains top of the ranking list going into 2016. Gilliver, whose lead coach is Baldip Sahota, won five of his six poule bouts in Sharjah to go into the...
Competitive modern pentathlon returns to the University of Bath for the first time since this summer’s hugely-successful European Championships when Pentathlon GB stage their first ranking event of the Rio 2016 Olympic season on Saturday. Former World Champion Samantha Murray will be among the big names in action at the Sports Training Village as pentathletes look to secure their place in the British squad ahead of a massive year. A busy day starts with the...
University of Bath graduate Alexandra Rickham won a medal at the Para World Sailing Championships for the seventh successive year as she and Niki Birrell claimed SKUD silver in Australia. Rickham and Birrell, who won bronze medals at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, finished runners-up to defending champions Liesl Tesch and Dan Fitzgibbon of Australia despite having equipment issues during the 11 days of competition in Melbourne. “We sailed over some weed on day two...
Weightlifter Zoe Smith broke two British records as she boosted her chances of competing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games by securing a top-ten finish at the IWF World Championships in the United States. Commonwealth champion Smith, who does some of her training at the University of Bath Sports Training Village, lifted an overall total of 221kg – the most ever by a British woman in the -63kg weight category – as she placed ninth. The...
Piers Gilliver will end 2015 ranked as the number one epee wheelchair fencer in the world after a fifth-placed finish at the IWAS World Cup in Paris. Gilliver, who trains at the University of Bath, finished 22 ranking points clear of his nearest rival, Poland’s Dariusz Pender, after a calendar year that saw him win World Cup gold in Eger, Hungary and Pisa, Italy plus the Grand Prix titles in Warsaw and Hong Kong. He...
It is exactly 300 days until the Rio 2016 Olympic Games get under way – and Team Bath’s elite judoka face a crucial competition as they bid to reach Brazil. Valuable qualification points for the Games are up for grabs at the European Judo Open, which takes place this weekend in Glasgow for men and Lisbon for women. Among those heading to Scotland is Ben Fletcher, pictured, who currently meets the qualification criteria for Rio...
University of Bath graduate Nicole Walters helped Melissa Reid pick up a gold medal and qualification points for Rio 2016 at the World Paratriathlon Championships in Chicago. Walters is the guide for visually-impaired Reid and the pair made a fantastic start to their week as they won gold in the ITU Aquathlon World Championships (swim, run). Then, in the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final (swim, bike, run), they got off to a strong start in...
A host of sportspeople with University of Bath links have been shortlisted for the 2015 Bath Chronicle Sports Awards. All three candidates in both the Professional and Disabled Sports Performer of the Year categories train or trained at the Sports Training Village. Swimmer Jay Lelliott, a Sports Performance student at the University, is in the running for the main Sports Personality of the Year prize and Team Bath Tennis is a contender for Community Club...
Piers Gilliver continued his medal-laden year by winning silver at the 2015 Wheelchair Fencing World Championships in Eger, Hungary. And it was mighty close to gold for Gilliver, who began training full-time at the University of Bath this year, as he was edged out 15-14 by China’s Gang Sun in a thrilling A Category men’s epee final. Sun took the sole automatic qualifying place available for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games but Gilliver is well...
When Australia arrive at their Rugby World Cup training camp at the University of Bath next week, they will become the latest national team to hone their preparations for a major championships at the world-class Sports Training Village. It was the training base for the England rugby union team during Brian Ashton’s reign as head coach, which included the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. England were defending champions at the time and went on...
