Rio 2016: Heather Olver ends Olympic badminton debut on a winning note

University of Bath graduate Heather Olver finished her Rio 2016 Olympic Games on a high note as she and Lauren Smith won their final ladies’ doubles match. Defeats to tough opponents from Malaysia and Indonesia in their opening Group C matches meant Olver, a Coach Education and Sports Development graduate, and Smith could not qualify for the next round. However, they got the victory their performances deserved when they beat Lok Yan Poon and Ying...

14 August 2016

Rio 2016: Another super silver from Jazz Carlin takes Bath swimming medal count to three

University of Bath-based swimmer Jazz Carlin became Team GB’s first double medallist of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games when she won 800m freestyle silver in the early hours of Saturday morning. The 25-year-old, full of confidence after claiming 400m freestyle silver on Monday, enjoyed a race-long battle with Hungary’s reigning European champion Boglarka Kapas before getting the edge by two-tenths of a second in 8:16.17. Gold went to outstanding American Katie Ledecky in a world-record...

13 August 2016

Rio 2016: Helen Glover and Heather Stanning retain Olympic title and create more rowing history

They learnt to row at the University of Bath, now Helen Glover and Heather Stanning have created more sporting history by winning women’s pair gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Four years after becoming the first British women rowers to win an Olympic title with their unforgettable success at London 2012, Glover and Stanning became the first British women to retain their crown with an imperious display on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas. Unbeaten...

12 August 2016

Rio 2016: Swimmer Jazz Carlin in the mix for second medal of Olympic Games

University of Bath-based swimmer Jazz Carlin will bid for her second medal of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the early hours of Saturday morning after qualifying third-fastest for the 800m freestyle final. Full of confidence after her superb silver medal in the 400m freestyle, Carlin clocked 8:19.67 in the fastest heat of the day to put herself in a good lane for the final (2.20am BST). “I didn’t expect it to be 8:19, that’s...

12 August 2016

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