University of Bath-based GB Skeleton slider David Swift has announced his retirement from the sport after almost a decade representing his country on the international stage. The 31-year-old from Devon joined the GB programme in 2006 and has featured in more than 80 senior races, including two World Championships. A winner of the overall Intercontinental Cup (ICC) competition in 2015, the former sprinter was consistently one of the fastest starters in the world and was...
Laura Deas warmed up for the ISBF World Championships with a fifth-placed finish in the latest round of Skeleton World Cup action in St Moritz on Friday. Deas, who trains at the University of Bath with the British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association, was just 0.38secs behind race winner Janine Flock and remains fourth in the overall World Cup standings with one race to go. Friday’s competition also doubled as the European Championships, with Deas just...
University of Bath-based skeleton athlete David Swift finally enjoyed a golden moment when he registered the first win of his nine-year international career on Wednesday. The 31-year-old beat 42 other sliders to triumph in the penultimate race of the Europa Cup season in St Moritz, boosting his chances of being selected in the GB team for this month’s World Championships. Swift, who has competed in more than 80 senior races, had previously claimed silver and...
University of Bath graduate Dominic Parsons finished seventh for the third time this term as he led the way for Great Britain in Saturday’s World Cup skeleton action in Park City. Parsons, who trains at the Sports Training Village, produced a fine second run to move up from ninth after Heat 1 in heavy snow and strong winds in Utah. Britain’s No.1 male slider now sits sixth in the world rankings with three World Cup...
Olympic champion Lizzy Yarnold is taking a season-long break from competition but will return to skeleton in the hope of becoming the first slider and the first British Winter Olympian to defend her title in PyeongChang in 2018. Yarnold, who trains with the British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association at the University of Bath, made history this year when she won the World and European Championships to complete a career Grand Slam of skeleton titles, having...
The University of Bath has paid tribute to former skeleton World Champion Dr Kristan Bromley, who has announced his retirement from competition. Bromley both trained and worked at the University and was a pioneer in sled design technology during his time as a Research Officer in Engineering & Applied Science from 2002 to 2006. He was involved in producing the sled on which Alex Coomber won a historic bronze medal at the 2002 Winter Olympic...
Fellow athletes, family, friends and University of Bath staff turned out in force to cheer a full complement of Pentathlon GB athletes into the women’s final of the Modern Pentathlon European Championships. Graduates Samantha Murray, Kate French and Freyja Prentice all successfully came through their qualifying rounds on Friday, as did newly-crowned World Junior Champion Francesca Summers. They were roared on all the way by another good crowd at the Sports Training Village and can...
Eight sliders with dreams of emulating Olympic champions Amy Williams and Lizzy Yarnold have been named in British Skeleton’s new talent squad. University of Bath student Madelaine Smith and Sport & Exercise Science graduate Kim Murray are among the elite group who successfully came through a Power2Podium talent search which attracted more than 1,000 applicants. Also in the squad – who have recently returned from their first six weeks of ice training in Norway, Austria...