Olympian and world championship medallist Martyn Rooney has been offering an insight into life as an elite athlete as part of a Loughborough College programme which backs rising sport stars on their road to success.
The sprint superstar shared experiences from his athletic career at a specialist workshop for the College’s Talented Athlete Support Scheme (TASS) Dual Career Programme, which helps balance academic study with high performance sport.
Despite only being in its second year, the programme can already count World Junior Para Long Jump champion, World Junior Powerlifting Champion Jade Medhurst and international sprinter Thomas Young amongst its select group of young athletes. Tom took silver at the recent Para Athletics World Championships in Dubai and Karim has been shortlisted for Sport Aid’s 2019 One-to-Watch award. England Basketball’s Ethan Damerum, England Volleyball’s Alice Brand and GB Artistic Skating’s Sophie Holmes are Loughborough College students also benefiting from the programme, alongside a host of England netball and England Women rugby players.
The group aspires to the level of success which saw athletes from the College bring home 30 medals, including 15 gold, from last year’s Commonwealth Games and who won 14 Olympic and Paralympic medals in Rio. Karim said: “My ultimate ambition is to represent GB in the 2024 Paralympics.”
Steve Wilkinson, who coordinates the Loughborough College Dual Career Programme alongside Claire Plimmer, said: “We would like to thank Martyn for giving our student athletes the chance to benefit from his insights and experiences. They were captivated and inspired.
“Alongside their studies, our group trains and competes at the highest level and we have a specialist team which draws on a long and successful College track record to support them. This enables each athlete to balance the dual demands of their sport and their education and to excel in both.
“There’s key lifestyle advice on nutrition, psychology, drug testing, sleep and time management and we liaise on the students’ behalf with everyone they work with to ensure we coordinate effectively to minimise pressure on them.
“This backing gives our young athletes the space to develop the concentration, motivation, confidence and maturity that is so valuable when they’re aiming for success in the classroom and in their sport.”