Durham continues proud tradition of harnessing top quality sporting talent

We are a month into what is being billed by the government as the “decade of sport”, and undoubtedly the highlight will be the London 2012 Olympic games.

Athletes up and down the country are dreaming of stepping out in front of a roaring home crowd, and for some of the current crop of Palatinates this dream may well become a reality in two years.

The 2008 Beijing games saw four Durham students, James Clarke, Alice Freeman, Louisa Reeve and Stephen Rowbotham, who won a bronze medal, make the Great Britain Rowing Squad and join a illustrious list of Durham students to compete at the games so far; a list topped by gold medal triple-jumper Jonathan Edwards and Wade Hall-Craggs. There is great confidence amongst Team Durham officials that the athletes profiled below will be able to emulate their successful predecessors.

Quentin Sloper, Team Durham’s Assistant Director of Sport, said: “If the athletes continue to train hard, remain dedicated and stay injury-free then we are very confident that they can make the 2012 squad.

“And if they make the games, then they have every chance of winning a medal”.

The last games were Team GB’s most successful to date; let’s hope they can rewrite the history books in front of the roaring home crowd.

2012 Olympic hopefuls

Kiera Roberts

Age: 20 Subject: English College: University Sport: Fencing

Greatest sporting achievements?
Competing in the World University Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Championships four times. Representing Britain at Cadet, Junior and Senior level abroad. Being the current Junior Commonwealth Champion.  I’m also proud of being BUCS Individual Champion in 2008, coming close second in 2009.  I’m honoured to be Senior Sportswoman of the Year in Durham and on the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship.

What would it mean to you to compete at 2012?
It would be a great achievement in which I would feel that years of hard work had finally paid off.

What would be your aims for 2012?
Medals! You cannot aim for anything lower really.

How many hours a week do you spend on training?
3-5 times a week fencing excluding the weekend, as there is usually a competition on at the weekends,  2-3 times a week strength and conditioning  and twice a week I do my own training.

Matt Gunby

Age: 21  Subject: Economics  College: St.John’s Sport: Triathlon

Greatest sporting achievements?
Representing Great Britain at Under 23 Level in Triathlon and Duathlon over the past 2 years, with my highest placing being 2nd at the European Under-23 Championships in 2008.

What would it mean to you to compete at 2012?
Just qualifying for the Olympic Team would be a huge achievement. Competing in the greatest sporting event in the world would be incredible, and having the home support would be unreal.

What would be your aims for 2012?
Every athlete has to have a lot of self belief. Standing on the starting pontoon I would almost certainly think I had a chance of winning the race.

How many hours a week do you spend on training?
On average I spend 25 hours a week training (12 swimming, 7 cycling and 6 running). When I turn professional next year, this will increase to around 30 hours a week.

Matt Rossiter

Age: 20 Subject: Biology College: St.Cuthberts Sport: Rowing

Greatest sporting achievements?
World Rowing Junior Championships, Beijing, 2007; Gold Medal in the Great Britain Coxless 4;World Rowing U23 Championships, Brandenburg, 2008, 5th Place in Great Britain; World Rowing U23 Championships, Prague, 2009, Bronze Medal in Great Britain 8; Australian Youth Olympic Festival, 2009, three Gold Medals in Pair, Coxless 4 and 8.

What would it mean to you to compete at 2012?
It would be a dream to compete at an Olympic Games and with them being in London, it would be something really special and a huge honour.

What would be your aims for 2012?
Primarily my aim is to try and get into the team and if I were to achieve that, the aim would have to be to get a medal.

How many hours a week do you spend on training?
It depends week on week but typically it would be about 18 hours.

How do you balance your degree, sporting commitments and social life?
It can be hard to get the balance right – I try to get the training done as efficiently as possible to leave time in the day to get work done  and to leave my evenings free.

Emily Taylor

Age: 22 Subject: Economics and Finance College: Hatfield Sport: Rowing

Greatest sporting achievements?
Gold at U23 World Rowing Championships 2009. Team Durham Sportswoman of the Year 2008/9.  Bronze at U23 World Rowing Championships 2008, Silver at European Rowing Championships 2008,  Bronze at U23 World Rowing Championships 2007. 15 Gold, 2 Silver and 3 Bronze medals in BUCS.

What would it mean to you to compete at 2012?
It would be absolutely amazing. Sometimes training is really difficult but having 2012 as a goal makes it easier to get out of bed in the morning. I had never been in a boat until I came to Durham, and after only 18 months of rowing I won a bronze medal at the U23s World Championships, and since then things have only got better, so to take it one step further and make the Olympic squad would mean so much to me.

What would be your aims for 2012?
I definitely would be aiming for a medal if I made the team.

How many hours a week do you spend on training?
20 hours including water work, ergos, weights, core and cross training.

How do you balance your degree, sporting commitments and social life?
It is difficult but as long as I stay organised and plan my day, it can be done. I think it is important to make time to see friends and do something completely unrelated to rowing each week otherwise I would go mad!

More future sporting stars

One must not forget that the university has also produced many outstanding ‘non-Olympic athletes’, and the next decade will without question see the list of famous alumni grow rapidly.

Current England and Durham Country Cricket captains Andrew Strauss and Will Smith, along with Nasser Hussain, who too has captained his country, and wicket-keeper James Forster, are all notable graduates of our fine Centre of Cricket Excellence.

Equally impressive is the fact that former England rugby captains Will Carling and Phil De Granville, and former vice-captain Will Greenwood, are products of an outstanding rugby program that, since 1967, has produced 25 full internationals including Tim Stimpson, Duncan Hodge, David Walder and Charlie Hodgson.

No one can predict the future, but the students below have the talent and attitude needed to reach the top of their respective sports.

Holly Colvin

Age: 20  Subject: Natural Sciences College: St.Mary’s Sport: Cricket

Greatest sporting achievements?
Winning the Ashes in 2005 and retaining them in 2008 and 2009. Being the youngest ever cricket male or female to play a test for England. Becoming the number 1 bowler in the World ICC rankings.

What are your aims for the next few years?
To get my first five-wicket haul, and be promoted up the batting order.  To take over captaincy at some sort of domestic level.

How many hours a week do you spend on training?
Including fitness, about eight.

How do you balance your degree, sporting commitments and social life?’
I’m quite organized so I don’t leave things to the last minute. I went on tour for two weeks during the first term and just took a bit of work with me, and did the rest when I got back.  Balancing my social life is hard but luckily I’ve made some really good friends who understand why I don’t go out as much as them.

Sandra Hyslop

Age:19 Subject: Natural Sciences College: Collingwood Sport: Kayaking

Greatest sporting achievements?
European Championships Silver Medalist, Sprint event 2009. World Championships Silver Medalist, Sprint team event 2008. Junior European Champion, Classic and Sprint 2008. Junior World Champion, Classic and Classic team 2007. Junior World Championships Silver Medalist, Sprint 2007. Shortlisted for BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year 2007.

What are your aims for the next few years? To just keep working hard and improving my game.

How many hours a week do you spend on training?
About fifteen hours a week on average.

How do you balance your degree, sporting commitments and social life?
My social life mainly consists of my sporting commitments, as most of my friends are paddlers.  I do most of my training in the morning before lectures, and in the evening or afternoon when lectures allow.  Weekends are spent on white water rivers in the local area or on training camps or races.

Alex Waddingham

Age:20 Subject: Sport College: Hild Bede Sport: Rugby Union

Greatest sporting achievements?
Being selected for the England Students squad for 2009-2010 season. Winning the Durham County Championship Plate in 2008-2009 and being awarded Player of the Season in 2007-2008. Making my first appearance in the inter-squad First Team Sale Sharks match at Edgeley Park in 2006.

What are your aims for the next few years?
To play in the upcoming games against Portugal, Irish Colleges and France Universities for England Students, and to break into the first team at Sale.

How many hours a week do you spend on training?
Whilst at university I spend about four hours in the gym and another four playing rugby with the first team. I also have to complete extra speed and fitness work so that I meet standards when I return to Sale because the training hours are far more intense. When I’m with Sale over the holidays, I can be training for up to four hours a day, five days a week.

How do you balance your degree, sporting commitments and social life?
I find it quite difficult – the degree and training are on level ground because it is a crucial year for both my rugby and my work. I’m not going on as many nights out this year and if I do I’m not staying late. However, I’m a non-drinker so I don’t have the hangover effects! At Sale I was taking dissertation work to the training ground with me to get on with over breaks.

James Birch

Age: 20 Subject: Geography College: Hatfield Sport: Motorsport

Greatest sporting achievements?
European Formula Vee 2009 Champion, 2nd place in 2008 and 5th place in 2007, 2005 Karting NKRA National Junior Championion, Grand Final winner and Southern Area winner.

What are your aims for the next few years?
Hopefully next year I will win the Mid-European Formula Renault Championship and graduate to Formula 3 Europe, with Formula 1 being the final pinnacle. However, if I cannot make it in single seaters I would like to make the switch to touring cars with a look to moving into Le Mans prototype cars.

What is your overall career aim? My main aim is just to make a career out of motorsport.

How many hours a week do you spend on training?
My training started over Christmas with three strength and conditioning sessions. The problem with motorsport is you have to be toned rather than built. I cannot exceed a certain weight, although I must be over a certain weight, and my training is basically a mission to stay within that weight, while building up as much muscle as possible.

How do you balance your degree, sporting commitments and social life?
On race weekends I’m away Thursday and Friday, however the University is very accepting and I catch up on the work in between races. The week before a race, I have to cut out alcohol completely.