Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
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Expert support helps LBU athletes prepare for Commonwealth Games
Fifteen athletes who have studied or trained at the university have been selected to compete at the games, which run from Thursday 28 July to Monday 8 August in Birmingham.
Those from the university who are set to vie for medals include Olympic and World Athletics Championships silver medallist Keely Hodgkinson, England netball team captain Natalie Metcalf and Paralympic gold medallist Kadeena Cox OBE.
Coaches and academics from Leeds Beckett, including LBU Talent Hub Director Andi Drake, Athletics Head Coach Andrew Henderson and British Swimming Performance Scientist Craig Robertson have provided expert guidance, coaching and advice to athletes from across the UK in their preparations for the games in recent months.
A number of athletes have used the state-of-the-art Carnegie School of Sport building as a training base, where they have been able to use the School’s performance analysis suites and strength and conditioning facilities to ensure that they maximise their performance.
The school has established partnerships with many organisations, and has been working with athletes through its partnerships with British Athletics and England Athletics.
Dr Andrew Manley, Principal Lecturer in Sport & Exercise Psychology said:“ Our partnerships adopt an integrative and inclusive approach to sport science support. High-performance coaches and athletes receive timely access to our world-class facilities and practitioners, ensuring the optimisation of health and performance when it matters. As a complement to this, our students, early-career practitioners, and emerging student-athletes benefit from unique professional development opportunities by being placed at the heart of these collaborative efforts.
The numerous successes observed in Tokyo last year and more recently in Eugene are a positive reflection of these well-established professional relationships; I am confident we will witness more of the same in Birmingham over the next couple of weeks. "
Much of Leeds Beckett’s athletic representation at the games comes from those who have trained at the university’s athletics Talent Hub, a collaboration between British Athletics, England Athletics, London Marathon Events and the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS).
The Talent Hub aims to provide a high-quality performance development environment for its athletes, and their coaches, and establish a dual-career pathway built around an education and learning programme. Current talent hub athletes include Keely Hodgkinson, Lizzie Bird, Tom Bosworth and Leeds-born Alex Bell.
That we have a number of our students and graduates competing at the Commonwealth Games is testament not only to their ability, dedication and hard work, but also to the high-level of training and support provided by the university’s coaches, support staff and academics.
Sally Griffiths, Director of Sport & Active Lifestyles at Leeds Beckett University said: “That we have a number of our students and graduates competing at the Commonwealth Games is testament not only to their ability, dedication and hard work, but also to the high-level of training and support provided by the university’s coaches, support staff and academics.
“The athletes taking part are role models for our current and prospective students who have ambitions to compete at the highest levels of sport, and we believe that their achievements at the Commonwealth Games will inspire on the next generation of athletes from the university.”
Before the games officially get underway, graduate and weightlifter Emily Campbell, the first British woman to medal in weightlifting at the Olympics, will be Team England’s flagbearer alongside Leeds-trained Jack Laugher at the opening ceremony on Thursday.
LBU ATHLETES COMPETING AT THE GAMES
A full breakdown of our student and graduate athletes taking part in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and when you can catch them in action.
Men's Rugby Sevens, England
LBU Student and BUCS Super Rugby player.
Due to appear:
England v Samoa, Friday 29 July
England v Sri Lanka, Friday 29 July
England V New Zealand, Saturday 30 July
Athletics, England
Leeds Beckett graduate and Talent Hub athlete.
Due to appear:
Women's 800m heats, Tuesday 2 August
Women's 800m semi-finals, Thursday 4 August (if qualified)
Women's 800m final, Saturday 6 August (if qualified)
Racewalking, England
Leeds Beckett graduate and Talent Hub athlete.
Due to appear:
Men's 10km racewalk final, Saturday 8 August
Weightlifting, England
LBU graduate.
Due to appear:
Women's +87kg weightlifting final, Wednesday 3 August
Athletics, England
Honorary graduate.
Due to appear: TBC
Athletics, England
Former student and LBU Talent Hub athlete.
Due to appear:
Women's 800m heats, Tuesday 2 August
Women's 800m semi-finals, Thursday 4 August (if qualified)
Women's 800m final, Saturday 6 August (if qualified)
Diving, Jamaica
LBU Graduate.
Due to appear:
Men's 1m diving preliminary, Thursday 4 August
Athletics, Isle of Man
Graduate and LBU Talent Hub athlete.
Due to appear:
Men's 1,500m heats, Wednesday 3 August
Men's 1,500m final, Saturday 6 August
Netball, England
LBU Graduate.
Due to appear:
England v Trinidad & Tobago, Friday 29 July
England v Malawi, Saturday 30 July
England v Northern Ireland, Monday 1 August
England v Uganda, Tuesday 2 August
England v New Zealand, Thursday 4 August
Athletics, England
LBU Talent Hub athlete.
Due to appear:
Women's 10,000m final, Wednesday 3 August
Women's 5,000m final, Sunday 7 August
Racewalking, New Zealand
LBU Graduate.
Due to appear:
Men's 10km racewalk final, Sunday 7 August
Badminton, England
LBU Graduate.
Due to appear:
England vs Barbados, Friday 29 July - AM session
England vs Mauritius, Friday 29 July - PM session
England vs Singapore, Saturday 30 July
Triathlon, England
LBU Graduate.
Due to appear:
Women's triathlon sprint final, Friday 29 July
Racewalking, England
LBU Graduate.
Due to appear:
Men's 10km racewalk final, Sunday 7 August
Triathlon, England
LBU Graduate.
Due to appear:
Men's triathlon sprint final, Friday 29 July
