Rio 2016: Ben Fletcher edged out of Olympics but helps inspire next generation of judoka

A determined display from Team Bath's Ben Fletcher wasn't enough to avoid defeat as the Team GB judoka was knocked out of the Rio Olympic Games in the round of 32. In a fight watched by team-mates, coaches and youngsters back at the University of Bath dojo ahead of a have-a-go judo session, Fletcher lost by ippon to reigning -90kg World Junior Champion Beka Gviniashvili. In the opening minutes of the contest Fletcher, making his Olympic debut, held off the...

11 August 2016

Rio 2016: Vicky Thornley’s stunning silver adds to rowing scheme’s roll of honour

Vicky Thornley became the latest graduate of a highly-successful rowing talent development programme at the University of Bath to win an Olympic medal as she helped Katherine Grainger make Team GB history during an incredible race at Rio 2016. They went into the women’s double scull final on the back of an incredibly difficult summer, which saw their partnership dissolved after a poor performance at the European Championships but reformed after they failed to earn...

11 August 2016

Rio 2016: Agony and pride as swimmer Andrew Willis goes mighty close to Olympic medal

University of Bath-based swimmer Andrew Willis missed out on an Olympic medal by just eight-hundredths of a second after finishing fourth in the Rio 2016 200m breaststroke final. The 25-year-old, who trains with the British Swimming National Centre Bath, produced another brilliant swim to set a lifetime best of 2:07.78 in a fiercely-fought final that saw the entire field separated by less than a second. A blanket finish saw Kazakhstan’s Dmitriy Balandin take gold in...

11 August 2016

Rio 2016: Judoka Ben Fletcher relaxed and ready to be “dangerous” on Olympic debut

Team GB judoka Ben Fletcher is in the best shape of his career, physically and mentally, as he prepares to make his Olympic debut at Rio 2016. That is the view of Juergen Klinger, his long-term coach at the University of Bath Sports Training Village dojo, who believes that Fletcher can prove “a very dangerous opponent” to the more established judoka in the men’s -100kg competition on Thursday. Fletcher has been handed a tough draw...

10 August 2016

Rio 2016: Siobhan-Marie O’Connor wins stunning second silver for Bath-based swimmers

Siobhan-Marie O’Connor said winning an Olympic silver medal was “the best feeling in the world” after she became the second University of Bath-based swimmer to stand on the podium in Rio this week. And there could be another medal for the British Swimming National Centre Bath training group in the early hours of Thursday morning after Andrew Willis qualified second-fastest for the men’s 200m breaststroke final. Team GB’s O’Connor, born and raised in Bath, produced...

10 August 2016

Rio 2016: Bobby Crutchley’s attacking move pays off as GB hockey beat Brazil 9-1

Former Team Bath Buccaneers head coach Bobby Crutchley saw his Team GB men’s hockey side reinvigorate their Rio 2016 Olympic Games campaign with an emphatic 9-1 victory over host nation Brazil on Tuesday. After losing to Belgium and drawing with New Zealand in their opening matches, GB needed a good result but got off to a poor start as Brazil scored from a penalty corner after four minutes – their first-ever goal at an Olympic...

10 August 2016

Rio 2016: Final flourish awaits Vicky Thornley and Katherine Grainger after ‘best row yet’

Former University of Bath-based rower Vicky Thornley will contest her second Olympic final on Thursday after she and Katherine Grainger produced their best performance yet in the women’s double scull in Tuesday’s Rio 2016 semi-finals. After a difficult season in which their partnership was dissolved then reformed after they failed to secure a place in the women’s eight, Thornley and defending champion Grainger looked in impressive form for Team GB as they secured a strong second...

09 August 2016

Rio 2016: Siobhan-Marie O’Connor races into swimming final in record-breaking style

Siobhan-Marie O’Connor will be looking to emulate fellow University of Bath-based swimmer Jazz Carlin by getting on the podium at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The 20-year-old looked in fantastic form as she reduced her own women’s 200m individual medley British record to 2:07.57 to qualify fastest overall for the final, taking place at 3.29am BST. “I’m really pleased because I’ve been trying to go under 2:08 for...

09 August 2016

Rio 2016: Defending champs Helen Glover and Heather Stanning dig deep for heat win

“We did what we needed to do” – that was what defending champions Helen Glover and Heather Stanning had to say after progressing to the women’s pair semi-finals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The London 2012 gold-medallists, who both learnt to row at the University of Bath, are unbeaten in the pair since 2011 but saw that record put under threat by Denmark’s Hedvig Rasmussen and Anne Andersen in Monday’s heats. The Danes led...

09 August 2016

Rio 2016: Heartbreak for rugby sevens alumni as Team GB miss out on medal

There was heartbreak for University of Bath alumni Natasha Hunt and Amy Wilson Hardy as Team GB’s women fell short of a historic rugby sevens medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. After recording convincing wins in their three group matches and the quarter-final against Fiji, Team GB’s progress was halted at the semi-final stages by an impressive New Zealand outfit. They still had a chance of winning a bronze medal but could not get...

09 August 2016