Laura Deas wins gold and bobsleigh men add silver during great weekend for BBSA athletes

A brilliant gold medal for slider Laura Deas and silver in the four-man bob made for a stunning start to the season for the British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association athletes based at the University of Bath. Deas produced a sensational performance in Altenberg, Germany on Friday to pip home slider Tina Hermann to gold in the first BMW IBSF World Cup skeleton race of the 2015-16 season. “It’s a dream start,” said Deas, who won...

30 November 2015

Coach challenges swimmers to maintain winning ways at LEN European Short-Course Championships

Head Coach Dave McNulty and four swimmers from the National Centre at the University of Bath are heading to Netanya, Israel for the LEN European Short Course Championships. Siobhan-Marie O’Connor and Chris Walker-Hebborn are among five World Champions in the 12-strong team, which will be led by McNulty. Also looking to round off the year in style are Jazz Carlin, a bronze-medallist at the World Championships, and University of Bath graduate Andrew Willis, who finished...

27 November 2015

Two British records at World Championships boost weightlifter Zoe Smith’s Rio 2016 hopes

Weightlifter Zoe Smith broke two British records as she boosted her chances of competing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games by securing a top-ten finish at the IWF World Championships in the United States. Commonwealth champion Smith, who does some of her training at the University of Bath Sports Training Village, lifted an overall total of 221kg – the most ever by a British woman in the -63kg weight category – as she placed ninth. The...

26 November 2015

Malcolm Arnold welcomed into UK Sport’s prestigious Coaching Fellowship

Malcolm Arnold OBE has been made honorary member of UK Sport’s prestigious Coaching Fellowship, which aims to champion the coaching profession and support the development of world-class coaches in the UK. Arnold, UK Lead Hurdles Coach for British Athletics, has been based at the University of Bath since 1998 and has coached athletes such as Colin Jackson, Jason Gardener, Dai Greene and Eilidh Child to international success during that time. He was announced as a...

25 November 2015

Tennis ace Emma Hurst gets GB call for Master’U BNP Paribas tournament in France

University of Bath tennis player Emma Hurst will take on some of the best student aces in the world after being selected to represent Great Britain in the Master’U BNP Paribas tournament in France. The Sport & Exercise Science student, a 2014-15 Trendell Sports Scholar, is among the team of three ladies and three men who will be going for glory in Rennes from December 3-6. Also taking part are seven of the other top...

24 November 2015

Another pleasing performance as Team Bath Netball players stake claim for Superleague squad places

Team Bath Netball’s encouraging pre-season form continued as they recorded an impressive 66-42 victory against Celtic Dragons at the Sports Wales National Centre in Cardiff. Friday’s fine result followed on from Team Bath’s 62-46 win over the same opposition at the University of Bath last month, as well as victories against Surrey Storm and Hertfordshire Mavericks in the previous week’s tri-tournament. Director of Netball Jess Thirlby said: “It was another positive performance against good opposition....

23 November 2015

Rowing alumni Helen Glover and Heather Stanning named as World Female Crew of the Year

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, who started their illustrious careers at the University of Bath, have been named as World Female Crew of the Year by rowing’s international federation, FISA. And there was more success for Sports Technology graduate Stanning at the annual GB Rowing Team dinner as she was named as Female Olympic Athlete of the Year. The awards cap another outstanding year for the women’s pair, who were crowned as World and European...

23 November 2015

Judoka Megan Fletcher takes points and positives from top-seven finish at Qingdao Grand Prix

Team Bath Judo Club’s Megan Fletcher collected more valuable Rio 2016 Olympic Games qualification points as she finished seventh at the Qingdao Grand Prix in China. After her gold-medal success in Australia the previous week, Fletcher got off to a confident start in the U70kg weight division as she beat Georgia’s Esther Stam by yuko. However, a single penalty against Fletcher proved decisive in a tight quarter-final as she was edged out by South Korea’s...

23 November 2015

University of Bath graduate Luke Charteris signs for Bath Rugby

University of Bath graduate Luke Charteris is returning to the city after agreeing a move to Bath Rugby. The Welsh international lock, who completed a Sport & Exercise Science degree in 2005, has played in France for the past three years with Perpignan and Racing 92. Charteris, who has 60 caps for his country and played in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, will join Bath Rugby next season. “It is such an ambitious club and...

23 November 2015

Anna Hopkin takes freestyle gold as University swimmers win seven medals at BUCS Short-Course Champs

The University of Bath swimming team won seven medals, including one of each colour for Anna Hopkin, as they finished fourth overall at the BUCS Short-Course Championships in Sheffield. With aspiring Rio 2016 Olympians and Paralympians among the students racing at Ponds Forge over the weekend, the standard of competition was exceptionally high as reflected by the number of new records set – including World and British records. Hopkin was the only swimmer to go under...

18 November 2015