Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Heralding our Olympians
Yorkshire’s Rio Heroes Homecoming Parade, organised by Welcome to Yorkshire, is open to all to come along and celebrate the achievements of our returning Yorkshire Olympic and Paralympic heroes.
Sports teams and other members of our University are encouraged to attend the event in City Centre - leaving from the Art Gallery - wearing their purple Leeds Beckett sports kit and sporting the welcome home flags. Tweet a photo to @LeedsBeckett for a chance to see yourself on the Leeds Big Screen, Millennium Square.
The University will honour the homecoming parade by lighting up Portland Building, going for gold on the night of the event on 28 September.
Leeds Beckett has had an honourable list of athletes representing Team GB at both Olympics and Paralympics this year.
In the Olympics, alumnus Alistair Brownlee MBE (MSc Finance, 2013) became the first two-time Olympic Triathlon champion after powering to gold in front of his brother Jonny, both coached on our Headingley Campus by staff member Jack Maitland. Alumnae Sam Quek (BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science, 2010) and Kirsty Mackay (BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science, 2008) won gold after beating the Netherlands on penalties in the women's hockey final.
In the Paralympics, Leeds Beckett alumna, Dame Sarah Storey (BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science, 2000) made her total Gold medal collection much richer with a 12th gold from the C5 3,000m individual pursuit cycling and a 13th in the C5 cycling time trial.
Alumna Kadeena Cox (BSc (Hons) Sport & Exercise Science, 2013) was breaking world records with golds in C4/5 time trial cycling and T38 400m and current Sport & Exercise Science student Ali Jawad, whose frustration after missing out gaining a medal in the London Olympics turned to joy when he clinched a Silver in -59kg class powerlifting after clearing 190kg.
You can read more details about the Rio Paralympics here, and there's a round-up of the Rio Olympics here.