Olympics

Not many people can say they got the call up to the Olympics six days before their race… whilst camping in the Swiss Alps. Elliot Giles, from his tent in St Moritz received the news less than a week before the 800m heats. Having packed to stay in the mountains for a month, he said he’s been, “handed an ace in a game where I’ve played the cards I had.” Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said, “I feel like I should be jumping around for joy now but I […]

Six London alumni received Olympic medals in Paris as Team GB became the only country to podium in all five Olympic relay finals. Two of them just happen to share the same DNA; twin sisters Laviai and Lina Nielsen. The games began with Laviai Nielsen (KCL) winning Bronze in the mixed 4X400. The quartet, which also included Samuel Reardon, Alex Haydock-Wilson and Nicole Yeargin were in contention throughout, finishing with a time of three minutes 8.01 seconds. They finished just behind behind champions the Netherlands and the USA. British Records […]

British middle distance running is an exciting place to be right now and the women’s 1500m is no exception.  Revee Walcott-Nolan is in Paris for her second Olympics, alongside Georgia Bell and Laura Muir to form the Team GB 1500m women’s team. Walcott-Nolan began her athletics journey at Luton AC. She went on to study Sports Science at St Mary’s University, graduating in 2016. During this time, she ran PBs of 2.02 and 4.17 in the 800 and 1500m respectively. A tough one to take I’m a lot more confident, […]

With the Paris marathon only a few days away, we take a look at Britain’s second fastest marathon runner ever and St Mary’s University (SMU) alumni. Emile is one of six athletes who trained at the Endurance Performance Centre at SMU and have been selected to compete at this year’s games. Finishing third at the TCS London Marathon with 2.06.46, he secured his ticket to Paris to make his Olympic debut. In a world driven by data, Cairess has a more simplistic approach and is famous for racing with an […]

With just over 24 hours to go until the opening of the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Paralympics, the criticism of the paralympics is mounting. There are growing calls to abolish the Paralympics and integrate para-events alongside traditional events. Rio’s Paralympics games are under-resourced and under-promoted. Venues have been closed to save costs and the workforce has been downsized. These actions represent a major step backwards for para-athletes after the success of London 2012 and Beijing 2008. International Paralympic Committee President, Sir Philip Craven said; “Never before in the 56-year history of the Paralympic Games […]

For over 100 years, many athletes have strived for the Olympian glory of both summer and winter games. For the first time since the establishment of the modern Olympics, a team composed of athletes from 4 different countries will unite their strength and compete for the refugees under the Olympic flag, rather than representing their home countries. The 10 athletes were selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), out of 43 potential candidates identified last October. The selection comprised of two swimmers from Syria, five South Sudanese track and field athletes, […]