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...
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...
Former University of Bath-based rower Vicky Thornley will contest her second Olympic final on Thursday after she and Katherine Grainger produced their best performance yet in the women’s double scull in Tuesday’s Rio 2016 semi-finals. After a difficult season in which their partnership was dissolved then reformed after they failed to secure a place in the women’s eight, Thornley and defending champion Grainger looked in impressive form for Team GB as they secured a strong second...
“We did what we needed to do” – that was what defending champions Helen Glover and Heather Stanning had to say after progressing to the women’s pair semi-finals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The London 2012 gold-medallists, who both learnt to row at the University of Bath, are unbeaten in the pair since 2011 but saw that record put under threat by Denmark’s Hedvig Rasmussen and Anne Andersen in Monday’s heats. The Danes led...
University of Bath-based swimmer Jazz Carlin admitted she was “gobsmacked” after smashing her lifetime best to win 400m freestyle silver at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Just ten minutes after seeing fellow swimmer Adam Peaty win Team GB’s first gold of the Games, Carlin produced a magnificent performance to finish runner-up to Katie Ledecky of the United States who set a new world record of 3:56.46. Carlin came under pressure from another American, Leah Smith,...
It’s finally here – today’s the day the Rio 2016 Olympic Games officially get under way! What is sure to be a colourful, vibrant and spectacular opening ceremony will start the XXXI Olympiad at 8pm Rio time (midnight in the UK). Fifteen University of Bath-based athletes will be in action over the next 16 days, hoping to emulate the likes of Dr Stephanie Cook (modern pentathlon), Jason Gardener (athletics), Kate Howey (judo) and Michael Jamieson...
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...
Helen Glover and Heather Stanning will be looking to make the first of what they hope will be two major title defences this year after being named in the GB Rowing Team for next month’s European Championships. The women’s pair, who both learnt to row at the University of Bath, set a new Championships record when they won a first European gold together in Poznan, Poland last year. They will be favourites to retain that...
Helen Glover, Heather Stanning and Vicky Thornley were all victorious once again at this week’s GB Rowing Team Trials, the latest major step on the road to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. All three are graduates of the highly-successful GB Rowing Team Start talent ID and development programme at the University of Bath Sports Training Village. Glover and Stanning – reigning Olympic, World and European champions – were red-hot favourites to win the women’s pair...
Rowers Helen Glover and Heather Stanning extended their remarkable international winning run to 27 races as they struck gold once again at the World Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland. And there was cause for celebration for two current University of Bath rowers, Sam Courty and Frazier Christie, after they were named in the GB Rowing Team for next week’s World U23 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Courty and Christie are both part of the Start programme at...
