2015 – another unforgettable year of sport at the University of Bath

Welcoming the Wallabies, hosting Europe’s finest all-round athletes and celebrating success on the domestic and international stage – 2015 has been another sporting year to savour at the University of Bath. And 2016 promises to be another terrific 12 months, with the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place during the University’s 50th anniversary celebrations. The Road to Rio passed through the Sports Training Village (STV) in August 2015 as the Modern Pentathlon European...

26 December 2015

Festive cheer for Kate French and Jamie Cooke in Pentathlon GB National Ranking Competition at STV

Kate French and Jamie Cooke got their 2016 seasons off to a fine start with victory in the first Pentathlon GB National Ranking Competition of the new campaign. University of Bath Sports Performance graduate French, who has set the qualification standard for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, was in commanding form as she won the women’s competition at the Sports Training Village – home to Pentathlon GB’s National Training Centre. Freyja Prentice recorded the fastest...

22 December 2015

British record and eight gold medals for University of Bath-based swimmers at ASA National Winter Meet

Lizzie Simmonds set a new British record and there were 17 medals in total, eight of them gold, as University of Bath-based swimmers enjoyed a successful trip to Sheffield for the ASA National Winter Meet. Double Olympian Simmonds (pictured), who is coached by Dave McNulty and Graeme Antwhistle at the British Swimming National Centre Bath, set a new 100m backstroke standard of 56.35 on the opening night of the competition. Simmonds, supported by the University’s...

21 December 2015

Sharjah World Cup medal keeps wheelchair fencer Piers Gilliver on course for Rio 2016 Paralympic Games

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...

21 December 2015

Pentathletes return to competitive action at STV as University of Bath stages ranking event

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...

18 December 2015

British record smashed as GBRT Start rowers win six medals at British Rowing Indoor Championships

Jens Hullah was in record-breaking form as University of Bath-based rowers came away from the British Rowing Indoor Championships with six medals. Hullah, one of the youngest members of the GB Rowing Team Start Programme at the Sports Training Village, set a new British Y11 junior boy’s record as he covered 1,909m in six minutes on an ergometer – 58m further than the previous standard. It was one of two gold medals won by junior...

15 December 2015

From broken English to royal recognition – Meet the Team Bath athlete behind the 2016 Sports Performance Conference

Amongst the outstanding athletes who have made the Sports Training Village their training base is Eva Piatrikova - a Slovakian swimmer-cum-triathlete with big ambitions of a future in sports performance. Her past three years have been spent as an athlete, student and even a staff member at the University of Bath - years she describes as "the best decision I've ever made". And now she is set to lead the largest Sports Performance conference the University has...

15 December 2015

The future looks bright as Team Bath name Netball Performance League squad for 2016

Fifteen potential Superleague stars of the future have been named in the Team Bath Netball squad for the 2016 Netball Performance League (NPL) season. They include University of Bath sporting scholar Paige Reed (pictured), who was recently included in England Netball’s High Performance Programme, and two 2016 National Academy players – Ella Powell-Davies and Abi Robson. The NPL, open to players aged between 14 and 19, runs alongside the Vitality Superleague season and features all eight...

15 December 2015

Students on the scoresheet in dramatic South West University Rugby League comeback

Eight University of Bath students helped the South West University Rugby League squad come from 16 points down to record a dramatic victory over the South East on Saturday. Tom Plance scored two early tries as the South West took the early initiative at Maidenhead RFC but a 14-12 lead became a 30-14 deficit midway through the second half after the home side responded strongly. However, a topsy-turvy encounter saw the South West battle back...

15 December 2015

University of Bath graduate Steve Borthwick joins England Rugby coaching staff

University of Bath graduate Steve Borthwick has agreed to join the coaching staff of England Rugby. The former England captain will work as forwards coach as he reunites with Eddie Jones, having previously worked with the new Head Coach at Saracens in the Premiership and with Japan in the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Borthwick, who studied Economics and Politics at the University while playing for Bath Rugby, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity to...

15 December 2015