University of Bath-based swimmer Chris Walker-Hebborn has been awarded a European Short-Course Championships silver medal after a Russian opponent was given a doping ban. The 24-year-old – who is coached by Dave McNulty and Graeme Antwhistle at the National Training Centre, based in the Sports Training Village – finished joint-third in the 100m backstroke behind Vitaly Melnikov at the championships in December 2013. However, Melnikov tested positive for banned substance EPO and has now received...
Team Bath Netball coach Jess Thirlby says her improving squad should have no fear when they face the Superleague’s two top teams in the next six days. The Blue and Gold go to second-placed Surrey Storm on Tuesday (8pm) before welcoming defending champions Manchester Thunder to the University of Bath Sports Training Village on Monday, March 23 (7.45pm). They will provide a huge test of Team Bath’s credentials after their three successive victories against Celtic...
University of Bath student Lloyd Wallace made history on Sunday as the freestyle skier soared to Great Britain’s first-ever Europa Cup Aerials gold medal. It was also a first podium finish for the 20-year-old Sports Performance student from Shaftesbury, who saw off a world-class field to triumph in Airolo, Switzerland. Wallace nailed two triple twisting double somersaults, scoring a lifetime best of 96.58 for full double-full and 93.41 for double-full full. “It’s the best feeling...
Siobhan-Marie O’Connor claimed the top FINA points prize and Lizzie Simmonds produced the fastest 200m backstroke time in the world this year during an encouraging weekend for University of Bath-based swimmers at the Edinburgh International Swim Meet. Eighteen-year-old O’Connor’s winning time of 2:10.12 in Saturday’s 200m individual medley final took her above World Champion Katinka Hosszu to the top of the 2015 rankings. She finished four seconds clear of the field in that race but...
Jamie Cooke will bid for a second World Cup gold of the season during a busy week of international competition for the Pentathlon GB athletes who train at the University of Bath. Cooke – who was victorious in the opening World Cup in Sarasota, USA last month – is named in a six-strong squad for World Cup 2 in Cairo, Egypt from March 19-23. The former World Junior Champion is joined by Joe Evans, Sam...
Team Bath Judo Club had four fighters at the African Open in Casablanca, Morocco over the weekend. Gary Hall produced the best result, placing fifth in the under-90kg category after losing out to Slovenia’s Mihael Zgank in the bronze-medal contest. The 24-year-old from Bristol, coached by Juergen Klinger, had beaten Jordan’s Ibraheem Khalaf and Murat Gasiev of Russia in the preliminary rounds but was edged out by home judoka Imad Abdellaoui in the semi-finals. Gregg...
Team Bath Netball stretched their winning run to three Superleague matches with a comprehensive 63-24 victory over Team Northumbria at the Sports Training Village on Friday. The home side took time to get going during the first quarter but, inspired by player of the match Asha Francis, really stepped up a gear in the second period to extend their lead from 12-9 to 29-11. With victory all but secured, Team Bath played with freedom and...
Sajid Javid MP, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, has praised the University of Bath for providing “an excellent combination of study and training”. Javid, the Conservative MP for Bromsgrove, was speaking to athletes during a visit to the Sports Training Village on Thursday. He was given a tour of the facilities by Stephen Baddeley, Director of Sport at the University of Bath, and Helen Nicholls, Performance Advisor for UK Sport. The...
England defender Stacey Francis believes that new-look Team Bath Netball are making encouraging progress as the second half of the Superleague season gets under way. The five-time champions endured a difficult start to the campaign, losing four of their first five matches, but go into Friday’s game against Team Northumbria at the Sports Training Village on the back of wins against Celtic Dragons and Loughborough Lightning. And Francis is pleased the results are starting to...
Frazier Christie has set his sights on winning a medal at this summer’s World Rowing U23 Championships in Bulgaria after helping the University of Bath to an emphatic victory at the BUCS [British Universities & Colleges Sport] Head Championships. The economics student teamed up with Nick Bell, Alex Wilding and Ben Jackson to finish 13 seconds clear of the field in the men’s quad at Boston Rowing Club and secure Bath’s first gold at the...
