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Meet Our Members: Katie Mole, Rowing Regatta Medallist

Meet Our Members: Katie Mole, Rowing Regatta Medallist

Rowing club member and full-time postgraduate medical student, Katie, Mole, recently saw saw incredible success after being selected to represent Great Britain at the May International Wedau Regatta in Duisburg, Germany!

Katie competed in the Senior Women’s Double Sculls category and secured a silver and bronze medal over the two days of the competition. She competed alongside athlete Rebecca Wilde for the first time, after being on the same development programme for a number of years.  After returning to full-time study over the last nine months, she had to work incredibly hard balancing her academics alongside club and gym training. We caught up with her to learn more about her impressive schedule.

Katie Mole (left) and Rebecca Wilde (right)

What does a typical day look like for you?

 

Typically, my day begins bright and early at 06:00am, heading to the gym to train on the rowing machine with the University Boat Club. Following this, I study in the medical school for most of the day, from 09:00am-05:00pm. I then head back to the gym for a weights or cardio session before going home to finish the day by refuelling and completing any university work at home.

 How do you stay motivated to stick to your schedule?

 

Although this is a pretty gruelling schedule, it’s made easier by how friendly the gym staff are at Sport and Fitness. I’m always greeted by a friendly face or an interested question about how my training is going.

Who have been key supporters in your journey?

 

In particular, Joe Blacker has gone above and beyond to help me with my strength and conditioning work, taking on the role of a fantastic coach, and getting me to the strongest I’ve ever been, which was instrumental in facilitating my selection for international racing. I also owe a big thanks to the other athletes and coaches in the boat club for their continued support. Having enjoyed my first experience of racing in GB kit I’m excited to continue to improve and see what’s in store for the rest of the season and beyond.

 

Katie will also be racing at Henley Regatta at the end June which is one of the most prestigious rowing events, where she hopes to see even more successes!

Feel inspired to use our facilities to help you achieve your goals? We have a range of membership types to suit your preferences!

MEMBERSHIPS
CategoriesEvents

Brum in the Lakes: Experience the Outdoors

Brum in The Lakes | Experience the Outdoors

Last week, staff from across Sport & Fitness experienced a different kind of sporting environment, with a trip to the Raymond Priestly Centre in the Lake District.

 

The facility, which is a part of the University of Sport offering for students, is a multi-award winning outdoor education centre situated on the tranquil Coniston Water.

Staff from Performance Sport to Marketing, Club Development to Operations had a 24-hours that will live long in the memory – with one member of staff making their first return to the Raymond Priestley Centre in 20 years!

 

With rowing, sailing, climbing, hiking, gorge walking and much more on offer, the group experienced some of the centre’s outdoor pursuits for themselves.

 

Alongside the fun, were dedicated team building tasks spanning the beautiful Cumbrian surroundings, as the group collectively conquered land and water in a points-led orienteering exercise.

Fully-catered and will ample sleeping options, including two Yurts – the team returned to Birmingham with plenty of takeaways from an event-filled 24 hours.

 

A big thanks to Deborah Cook and her team based in Coniston who each year continue to offer seasonal activities and educational opportunities for University of Birmingham students and staff. 

 

Take a look for yourself with our gallery of some of our best photos!

Find out more about the Raymond Priestly Centre and the incredible sporting experience it offers!

RAYMOND PRIESTLY CENTRE
CategoriesEvents Student News

From Pool to Podium: Making history at the British Swimming Championships

From Pool to Podium: Making history at the British Swimming Championships

3 British titles, 7 finals appearances, 8 personal bests, 7 University records and a call up from the GB team- our Swimming Squad made some strong waves at the British Swimming Championships.

 

10 of our swimmers headed up to Pond Forge, Sheffield, from the 4-9 April 2023 to compete in 19 individual events. The outcome was incredible from the very first day, topping it off with our showstopper Scholar Ollie Morgan who made British history! 

 

Read on for a breakdown of the headline performances from across the week. 

 

DAY ONE

The squad didn’t waste any time, heading straight in with some strong swims. Following promising performances in the heats, scholar and sports coaching student Ollie Morgan gave a showstopper swim, becoming the 2nd fastest male in British history in Men’s 50m Backstroke A final with an incredibly rapid time of 24.84, trimming off 0.23s from the heats. As it stands, this makes Ollie the 5th fastest in the world and only the 3rd ever Brit to go sub -25 seconds in his category!

The last time we saw a triple in Backstroke events was Marco Loughran back in 2007.

 

Chemistry student and scholar Lucy Cannavan gave an impressive performance, improving from the heats (32.33) to finals (31.98), claiming 5th place in the Women’s 50m Breaststroke A final with a new personal best. Sam Neeld jumped from 19th in the heats to 2nd place in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke priority Paris final with a brilliant time of 1:03.29, also unlocking a new club record and new personal best!

Ollie Morgan. Credit: BUCS Photography

Lucy Cannavan. Credit: BUCS Photography

DAY Two

 

We saw more University records broken on the second day.  Sam made it to the priority Paris finals for the second time, securing first place in the 50m Breaststroke, completing the swim in 28.42 seconds. Ollie saw his second gold medal of the competition, with a 53.92 swim in Men’s 100m Backstroke.

Sam Neeld. Credit: BUCS Photography

DAY SIX

 

Ollie and Lucy made a splash in their final races, with an exceptional gold finish from Ollie in the Men’s 200m Backstroke ‘A’ Final, and Lucy securing first place in Women’s 100m Breaststroke priority Paris Final. Further University records were broken, raising the bar for our Lions!

 

Lucy shares how her performance exceeded her expectations at the British Championships:

 

‘After having 2 PBS at BUCS, I wasn’t really expecting to go much quicker, but to have 2 PBS from champs was a really good achievement.’

 

The rest of the squad gave an incredible effort and some memorable swims, with Adrian Ting also securing a new personal best for his 50m Butterfly.

Selected to represent Great Britain

 

With the British Swimming Championships playing a key role in the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka in July, Ollie’s powerful performance earned him a well-deserved spot on the GB team. We look forward to seeing him recognised at international level, with the team putting Birmingham firmly on the map!

 

Ollie reflects on his incredible achievements and selection for the world Championships.

 

‘Over the moon! Quite speechless, all the hard work we’ve put in has come together and to be selected for my first British team is quite overwhelming, but I am really excited to get out there.’

 

With this being the team’s 4th successful meet in a row with PB’s lowering consistently across most of the team, Head of Swimming Gary reflects on the teams’ successes.

 

‘I was really impressed, they kept the momentum going in a high-pressure environment, producing some top-class performances. Training was very focused on each individuals’ events, and it transferred really well to the competition’.

To keep up to date with all the action, make sure to follow the dedicated UoB Swimming Squad account.

Find out more about our 50m swimming pool and how you can get involved!

SWIMMING POOL
CategoriesEvents Student News

Breaking Records at BUCS Nationals 2023

Breaking Records at BUCS Nationals 2023

From the 24th-27th February, just under 100 of our students headed up to Sheffield to take part in the annual BUCS Nationals event for the 10th year. The weekend was an incredible success, with 24 medals secured, 211 BUCS points, new records including our first ever para medal for Athletics, and personal bests for some of our students, and an impressive mascot win from our beloved Rory!

 

Students competed in Athletics, Badminton, Climbing and Swimming to win medals and earn BUCS points.

ATHLETICS

It has been a huge weekend in the world of athletics, with a record medal haul of 15, ranking 2nd overall, and 130 BUCS points secured. In terms of individual medals, the athletics squad secured 7 gold medals, 5 silver and 3 bronze- breaking another record for most gold medals from the indoor championships.The competition continued right up to the very end, with 6 of the medals won within the final hour!

Our gold medallists are:

 

Didi Okoh (60m Ambulant, Long Jump), Josh Woods (Triple Jump), Cameron Bailey (400m), Harry Fisher (800m), Tyler Bilyard (1500m) and Elsa Palmer (300m)

Our silver medallists are:

 

Didi Okoh (Shot put Ambulant) Angel Diaz (60m Hurdles), Ore Adepegba (Long Jump), Kimani Jack (High Jump) and Archie Parkinson (800m)

Our bronze medallists are:

 

Emily Marmion-Willams (800m) and Saskia Millard (3000m), and a bronze for the Men’s 2x400m

 

TRIPLE MEDALLIST

 

On Friday, Didi Okoh won our first event Para medal for Birmingham in the 60m Ambulant event. She then added 2 more medals in the Long Jump and Shot Put giving the ladies over a third of their total points, and breaking a record for being a triple medallist at the indoors- a huge well done!

 

 

 

 

 

We can’t forget Rory who gave a pawfect performance in the mascot race, flying across the finish line at true lions speed- with an impressive time of 28.15 seconds.

CLIMBING

 

With 18 BUCS points secured, Ian Davis was awarded a bronze medal for Men’s Individuals, along with another bronze for the Men’s overall team. The Women’s Individual Team placed 7th!

BADMINTON

 

Badminton were awarded 5 BUCS points, with Shayne Wilson securing a bronze medal in singles! Both Shayne and Chad Warren reached the R16 in the Men’s Doubles.

SWIMMING

 

58 BUCS points were awarded to our swim team, with an overall position of 7th over the weekend. Two of our students secured a whole 6 medals between them!

 

Ollie Morgan and Lucy Jordan-Caws both excelled at the weekend, leaving the event as triple medallists! Ollie secured two gold and one silver medal in 100m ,200m and 50m backstroke respectively. Lucy secured two silver and one bronze medal in 50m free Multi class S 15, 100m Butterfly Multi class S 15 and 50m Butterfly Multi class S 15 respectively.

 

Sam Neeld also came 4th in the 50m Breaststroke final. 8 University records have been smashed and PBs hit across the group!

We are so proud of our Lions and their incredible achievements across all of the BUCS Nationals sports. With records broken, 24 medals, new personal bests, and a hefty number of BUCS points in the bag, it sure was a weekend to be remembered!

YOUoB Connect Festival BannerCategoriesEvents Student News

UoBe Festival Week Round-Up

UoBe Festival Week Round-Up

Last week students took part in UoBe Festival, offering a jam-packed schedule of activities and events before the academic term settles in. It was a great success, with students from all backgrounds engaging in our activities, from Try-a-Sport sessions to the Daily Varsity challenge to the College Cup and more! 

 

Here is a summary of some of the highlights across the week.

 

Image of students taking part in sunrise yoga session on the top floor of the main library

Sunrise Yoga

The week started off strong with some early morning Yoga held on the 4th floor of the main library, providing an unbeatable view of the infamous Old Joe clock. Our brilliant yoga instructor facilitated the session, allowing students to start their days with relaxation, balance and gentle stretching. 

Image of students standing with Jack. Tennis Coordinator

Tennis Masterclass  

 

Our amazing Tennis Coordinator provided a one-week free Tennis Masterclass designed to introduce beginners to tennis and teach them the basics. 

 

By the end of the week, all of the students were able to play in a tournament, with doubles and singles matches. Overarm serves, forehands, backhands, volleys and an understanding of the correct tennis scoring system were all put into play on the final day! 

 

Students reported feeling more confident in playing tennis and will take the skills they’ve learned into future games they play!

Varsity Daily Challenges 

 

From 2-3:30pm every day, our Participation Team organised a daily Varsity challenge. With the challenge changing each day, students gave a great effort and were awarded additional points towards their college for the overall College Cup score.  

Image of students playing football on Bournbrook Pitches

College Cup  

 

Across the week students represented their colleges in daily sport matches as part of the College Cup competition. From 3 v 3 basketball to Football on the Bournbrook pitches, the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS) claimed a well-deserved victory! 

Two adjacent squash courses in use by students
A student climbing towards the top of the climbing wall

Try-a-Sport sessions 

 

Students had the opportunity to try out a new sport through our Try-a-Sport sessions and social sport sessions. Facilitated by our Sport Development Team, Participation Team, and Student Societies, students got involved in various mixed ability sport sessions including Judo, Climbing, Squash, Netball and Bench ball. 

It was great to see so many students engaging with our facilities, especially those who don’t usually take part in sporting activities. Sport is for all, and sometimes it just takes trying out a few different things to find what you warm to the most!

 

Has one of our sessions inspired you to get more involved in sports? We have an extensive range of sporting opportunities designed for all levels of skill and commitment.

A group of British Junior Open medallistsCategoriesEvents

The British Junior Open 2023: Celebrating Success

The British Junior Open 2023: Celebrating Success

We are proud to have partnered with England Squash to host the prestigious British Junior Open tournament again this year. Bringing together the best junior Squash players from 53 countries for the U19’s tournament, there was a great buzz in the building across the week!

Recognising our Scholars

Two of our first year Scholars took part in the British Junior Open, both with strong Squash backgrounds including rankings in the December 2022 BUCS Individuals and the Professional Squash Association. Hana Ismail is one of our Elite Dual Career Athlete Pathway (EDCAP) Scholars, studying Medical Life and Geo Sciences. Our second Scholar, Olivia Besant, is one of our Squash Scholars who is studying first year Physiotherapy. With Hana finishing in 16th place representing Egypt, and Olivia in 23rd place representing England, they both gave an incredible performance!

Spanning across 5 days, we saw 650 players competing in 552 high-energy games. Our Munrow Arena was transformed with training courts and the main Glass court which was overlooked by hundreds of spectators.

An action shot of two males competing in the British Junior Open in the Glass Court

Tournament Winners

On the final day of tournaments, we saw Finnlay Withington (England) and Amina Orfi (Egypt) claim their well-deserved under 19s titles.  

British Junior Open winners Finnlay Withington (Left) and Amina Orfi (Right) holding their trophies.

A big well done to everyone who took part in the tournament this year, including those who volunteered to help make the event happen!

Interested in playing Squash at UoB? From social squash, to student squash teams, to performance squash, we offer something to suit all levels of abilities and personal goals.