Former University of Bath sport stars Heather Olver and Vicky Thornley selected for Rio 2016

Badminton player Heather Olver and rower Vicky Thornley have become the latest athletes with University of Bath connections to be selected by Team GB for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Olver (pictured left), who studied Coach Education and Sports Development at the University, will continue her successful women’s doubles partnership with Lauren Smith in Rio after being named in an eight-strong badminton squad. A three-time silver-medallist at the Commonwealth Games, Olver was coached by Peter...

27 June 2016

26 half-marathons down – 26 to go! Team Bath S&C coach Bob Smith reaches halfway point of charity marathon journey

Most of us mere mortals find the prospect of a single half-marathon a relatively daunting experience. The same can't be said of Team Bath Strength and Conditioning Coach Bob Smith who, on Sunday, ran his 26th such distance in as many weeks. In January, Bob ran the first of 52 half-marathons planned for 2016 in aid of the Wallace & Gromit Grand Appeal at Bristol Children’s Hospital who provided care for his daughter Autumn when she was taken...

23 June 2016

Double London 2012 medallist Paul Blake named in ParalympicsGB squad for Rio Olympic Games

University of Bath-based athlete Paul Blake will go in search of gold in Brazil after being named in an initial 13-strong track and field squad by ParalympicsGB. Blake - who competes in the T36 400m and T36 800m Paralympic events - is a triple World Champion and recently claimed victory in the T36 400m at the XI International Meeting Kern Pharma Grand Prix in Sauleda in May. The 26-year old, trained by Rob Ellchuk at the Sports Training...

23 June 2016

British Athletics legends Malcolm Arnold and Colin Jackson inducted into Hall of Fame for Sport

Two of the most iconic figures of British Athletics were today welcomed into the University of Bath Hall of Fame for Sport. Renowned coach Malcolm Arnold OBE and twice world champion hurdler Colin Jackson CBE were formally inducted by University Vice Chancellor Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell in front of a crowd which included current athletics stars based at the Sports Training Village. "In our minds, he is the most successful British athletics coach of all time," said the Vice...

22 June 2016

From Team Bath to Team GB as judoka Ben Fletcher is selected for Rio 2016 Olympic Games

With 50 days to go until Rio 2016, Team Bath judoka Ben Fletcher today became the ninth University of Bath-based athlete to be officially selected by Team GB for this summer’s Olympic Games. The 24-year-old, who is coached by Juergen Klinger at the Sports Training Village, will compete in the men’s -100kg weight category after being one of seven Brits to successfully qualify for the Games. After a gruelling two-year qualification period that took him...

16 June 2016

Team Bath Buccaneers forge groundbreaking twinning link with Dutch hockey giants Hurley

Team Bath Buccaneers hope that a groundbreaking twinning process with Dutch Premier League club Hurley will lead to more talented young players combining hockey and study at the University of Bath. Three Buccaneers executive members flew out to Amsterdam recently to establish the link, the first of its kind between two European clubs. And Chair Nick Kendall, who was joined on the trip by Director of Hockey Heber Ackland and men’s assistant coach Jon Williams,...

15 June 2016

Wildcard ensures Wimbledon return for Team Bath MCTA’s Anna Smith and Jocelyn Rae

Team Bath MCTA Tennis player Anna Smith and her women’s doubles partner Jocelyn Rae have been handed wildcards for Wimbledon 2016. The Championships, taking place from June 27 to July 10, will mark a third Grand Slam appearance of the year for Smith and Rae, who are Britain’s doubles partnership in the Federation Cup. They reached the last 16 at the Australian Open in January and progressed to the last 32 at the French Open...

15 June 2016

Double gold for Jazz Carlin and silver for Chris Walker-Hebborn as Rio countdown continues

Jazz Carlin won two gold medals and Chris Walker-Hebborn secured a brace of silvers as University of Bath-based swimmers continued their Rio 2016 Olympic Games preparations at the Mare Nostrum competition in Barcelona. Carlin went eight seconds faster than anyone else in the field as she won 800m freestyle gold in 8:25.23 on Saturday. She then clinched another comfortable victory in Sunday’s 400m freestyle final on Sunday, her time of 4:05.69 being almost four seconds...

13 June 2016

Glover and Stanning to defend Olympic rowing title in Rio after Team GB selection

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning will get the chance to defend their Olympic title after being named in the Team GB rowing squad for the Rio 2016 Games. Sports Technology graduate Stanning and Glover – who both started their rowing careers at the University of Bath – will once again contest the women’s pair, the event in which they are reigning Olympic, World and European Champions. “There is a great sense of pride that comes along...

10 June 2016

John Jackson retires from bobsleigh after ten years at the top

Great Britain Bobsleigh pilot John Jackson has announced his retirement after a decade-long career at the top of the sport. The 39-year-old Royal Marine has enjoyed huge success with his country since joining the programme in 2006 but has now decided to focus on family life after the birth of twins last month. Twice an Olympian in 2010 and 2014, Jackson - who trained on the unique outdoor push-track at the University of Bath -...

10 June 2016