Rio 2016: Silver for Blake, bronze for Rickham and world record for Kamlish as Games draw to a close

Paul Blake will be bringing two Rio 2016 Paralympic Games medals back to his University of Bath training base after adding T36 800m silver to his 400m gold on Saturday. Training partner Sophie Kamlish was just six-hundredths of a second away from also getting on the podium on a day that saw her smash the T44 100m world record. And University of Bath graduate Alexandra Rickham emulated her achievements from London 2012 as she and...

18 September 2016

Student Joe Choong ends busy international year at Junior World Modern Pentathlon Champs

A long international season that included a trip to Rio 2016 came to an end for University of Bath student Joe Choong at the 2016 Junior World Modern Pentathlon Championships in Cairo, Egypt. The 21-year-old, making his last appearance at junior level, was the only Pentathlon GB athlete to reach the men’s individual final and was well placed in sixth after strong performances in the fencing and the swim. However, the exertions of a season...

18 September 2016

Rio 2016: Paul Blake wins ParalympicsGB’s 50th gold of Games with emphatic T36 400m victory

Paul Blake today joined the ranks of University of Bath-based athletes to be crowned as Paralympic Champion as he won the T36 400m title at Rio 2016 – ParalympicsGB’s 50th gold medal of the Games. Blake, coached by Rob Ellchuk at the Sports Training Village, upgraded on the silver he won at London 2012 in emphatic style as he stormed away from the field in the last 100m to win in a season’s best time...

16 September 2016

September Showdown silver for U21s as emerging Team Bath Netball players impress

A Team Bath Netball squad featuring a host of England U21 internationals, Superleague players and emerging talent reached the final of the inaugural U21 September Showdown. The brand-new England Netball competition saw six Vitality Netball Superleague teams joined by regional side West Midlands Warriors and a select team from hosts University of Worcester for four days of action. Team Bath, captained by University of Bath student Sophie Carter, topped Pool B with wins against Surrey...

16 September 2016

Rio 2016: Paul Blake looking to upgrade on London silver in Friday afternoon final

Paul Blake will be going for gold on Friday afternoon as the University of Bath-based athlete gets his Rio 2016 Paralympic Games campaign up and running. Blake – coached by Rob Ellchuk at the Sports Training Village – goes in the T36 400m final at 2.15pm BST, looking to upgrade on the silver medal he won in the event at the London 2012 Games and the 2013 and 2015 World Championships. It starts a busy...

16 September 2016

Rio 2016: Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell sail into silver-medal position after up and down day

University of Bath graduate Alexandra Rickham and partner Niki Birrell have moved up to the silver-medal position after an eventful Wednesday in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games sailing regatta. They finished second and first in the opening two races of the day in the two-person keelboat SKUD18 but a kit failure sent them back to the marina early in the third. With all boats able to discard their worst score, Rickham and Birrell know there...

15 September 2016

Rio 2016: Silver lining as Piers Gilliver ends GB’s wait for wheelchair fencing medal

University of Bath-based Piers Gilliver became the first British wheelchair fencer in 24 years to win a Paralympic Games medal when he took silver at Rio 2016 on Tuesday. Gilliver, who celebrates his 22nd birthday on Saturday, only missed out on the gold medal by a couple of points after being edged out 15-13 by China’s Sun Gang in a tense Category A epee final in the Carioca Arena. “I really wanted the gold but...

14 September 2016

Rio 2016: Swimmers Sascha Kindred and Ellie Simmonds rewrite history books during golden 30 minutes

Former University of Bath swimmer Sascha Kindred won his seventh title in his last-ever Paralympic race on Monday as he smashed the SM6 200m individual medley world record at Rio 2016. Ellie Simmonds, who has a honorary degree at the University, matched his achievement in the equivalent women’s final during a stunning 38-minute spell that saw ParalympicsGB win three gold medals in the pool. Kindred won the first two of his Paralympic titles back at...

13 September 2016

Rio 2016: Late drama as Nicole Walters guides Melissa Reid to para-triathlon bronze

University of Bath-based Nicole Walters guided visually-impaired Melissa Reid to a dramatic PT5 bronze medal as para-triathlon made a successful debut at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. An excellent swim in the Praia de Copacabana and a strong ride put Reid and Walters firmly in medal contention after the first two stages of Sunday’s competition. They lost ground on the leaders in the run and were overtaken by Elizabeth Baker and Jillian Petersen of the...

12 September 2016

Sporting ambassadors help families get active during MJ Church Fun Day

Staff, families and friends of Team Bath’s new partners MJ Church got active during a fabulous Fun Day at the University of Bath Sports Training Village on Saturday. Hundreds of people of all ages tried their hands at a variety of sports including athletics, badminton, boccia, fencing, judo, tennis and skeleton on the unique outdoor push track. There were also inflatables, climbing walls and zip wires for have-a-go youngsters to enjoy while their parents enjoyed...

10 September 2016