Thirty Five "Best of British" young athletes supported from 25 sports
21st July 2010. At a Ceremony today in London the Jaguar Academy of Sport presented 35 young athletes, representing the next generation of British sporting talent, with the Jaguar Academy of Sport Bursary Awards. The Bursary Fund is at the core of the Jaguar Academy of Sport, which aims to recognise, celebrate and inspire the best of British sporting talent and success. The 35 athletes were chosen after a rigourous selection process conducted by SportsAid, which administers the Bursary Fund on behalf of the Jaguar Academy, with the final decision being made by the Patrons and Ambassadors of the Jaguar Academy of Sport, some of the nation's most successful sportsmen and women.
The 35 successful young athletes are aged between 14 and 24 and have been drawn from all over the country, representing 19 English counties, Scotland and Wales. They represent a total of 30 sporting disciplines all of which are Olympic and Paralympic sports.
The Jaguar Academy of Sport has been established with the intention of not just providing funding to the next generation, but also nurturing and inspiring them. As such the best performing of the 35 young athletes will be topped‑up with extra funding and will be presented with a prestigious Award by the Patrons at the Jaguar Academy of Sports Awards in November. There will also be opportunities during the year for the young athletes to be mentored by the Patrons and Ambassadors.
The young athletes were presented with their cheques and certificates by John Johnson, Operations Director Jaguar UK , Tim Lawler Chief Executive of SportsAid and, representing the Patrons of the Jaguar Academy of Sport, by Gareth Edwards (CBE). The Ambassadors of the Jaguar Academy of Sport were represented by Colin Jackson (CBE), Jamie Baulch, David Roberts (CBE), Tasha Danvers and Martin Brundle. For the full list of Patrons and Ambassadors see notes to editors. Digby, Lord Jones of Birmingham, The Chairman of the Jaguar Academy of Sport Advisory Board was also in attendance at the Ceremony.
The Jaguar Academy of Sport was launched in March 2010 and aims to recognise, celebrate and inspire the very best of British sporting talent and success. It will fulfill this aim through a Bursary Fund, which supports new British sporting talent, a prestigious annual Awards Ceremony, a unique club of the best of British sport which will be used to inspire the next generation and a vibrant website celebrating British sporting talent and achievement. (www.jaguaracademyofsport.co.uk)
Dame Kelly Holmes commented: "I am proud to be a Patron of the Jaguar Academy of Sport, it is a great initiative and I believe the bursary will give the athletes the recognition of their potential and the financial support, which can help them progress as well as an extra resource for their families. As part of the SportsAid alumni, I have myself seen the benefits of funding and know it can make a real difference. I look forward to working with the Jaguar Academy of Sport in the future and watching the recipients flourish."
Geoff Cousins, Managing Director, Jaguar UK stated: "We are delighted to present the first of our Jaguar Academy of Sport Bursary Awards to these outstanding young athletes. The Jaguar Academy of Sport and the Bursary Fund is a long‑term commitment by Jaguar to contribute to the development of the next generation of British sporting talent. I would like to congratulate each and every one of the winners. Nothing would give us greater pleasure than to see them go on to win at the highest level in their respective sports for our country."
Tim Lawler, Chief Executive, SportsAid: "It is a pleasure to work with Jaguar and to manage the Bursary Fund on their behalf. Jaguar is an iconic brand, which is all about the best of British so how fitting for them to establish a sporting Academy and a Bursary Fund to support and inspire the next generation of British sporting talent. This will make a real difference to these young rising stars and will be a huge help in their progression and success in their chosen sports."
David Roberts CBEstated: "The Bursary is a fantastic initiative by the Jaguar Academy of Sport to really help support up and coming talent on their path to future success. I wish I had been lucky enough to have such support in the early days of my career, before reaching my first Paralympic Games. It can be a big leap from junior competition to reaching an Olympic or Paralympic Games.
Jaguar is really showing their commitment to young sporting talent, which is brilliant news."
ENDS
The first group of Jaguar Academy of Sport Bursary recipients together with the Patrons and Ambassadors at a ceremony held at The Hurlingham Club in London today.
Jaguar, Gordon Snoddy
gsnoddy@jaguar.com
07702616031
Jaguar, Nick O'donnell
nodonne2@jaguar.com
07825115951
Jaguar, Faye Goldstraw
fgoldst1@jaguar.com
07860 872 224
Jaguar Academy of Sport, Stuart Dyble
07599 835 700
stuart@influenceltd.com
Notes to Editors
Jaguar Academy of Sport Patrons and Ambassadors
Patrons
David Beckham OBE
Sir Ian Botham
Gareth Edwards CBE
Dame Kelly Holmes DBE
Denise Lewis OBE
Sir Steve Redgrave
Ambassadors
Jamie Baulch
Dave Brailsford CBE
Martin Brundle
Tasha Danvers
Jessica Ennis
Mark Foster
Rio Ferdinand
Steven Gerrard MBE
Sir Chris Hoy
Colin Jackson CBE
David Roberts CBE
Michael Vaughn OBE
Lee Westwood
Shane Williams
Jaguar Academy of Sport Bursary Winner Profiles
Rashad Ali, Volleyball
Rashad currently plays for the Men's U18 Newcastle‑under‑Lyme, Men's Senior Division One team and the University of Birmingham first team. In January he represented England in the CEV Junior European Championships and he now hopes to be selected for the GB programme within the next year.
Thomas Allen, Swimming ‑ Racing
Thomas is a fully‑fledged Senior International for Wales and represented Great Britain at the Senior 10k Open Water events. He is the 2010 Amateur Swimming Association Age group National Championships winner in 200, 400, 800 and 1,500m freestyle and 200m fly. He has already swum the times required to make the Commonwealth Games later this year in the 200fly. He has been selected for the Senior World Championships in Canada later this month.
Tom Britz, Sailing
Tom made Selection for the British Optimist Worlds team and finished top British competitor, winning the final race of the series. Tom's best moment competing to date was watching the Union Jack being hoisted and listening to the National Anthem being played as he received a medal.
Edward Chambers, Weightlifting
Eddie is the current British U17 and U18 and was the best weightlifter at the Czech Grand Prix. He is currently a sixth form student at Abingdon and Witney College and aims to be selected for the GB Senior squad at major international championships.
Katy Colebourne, Wrestling
Katy first got involved with British Freestyle Wrestling at just age 12. In 2009, she was selected to join the British Junior Talented Athlete Programme. After a successful year, she won the English, Welsh and Scottish championships in her weight category. She now trains with ex Ukranianin world champion at the British Wrestling Academy.
Ben Collins, Cricket
Ben has represented Leicestershire Young Cricketers from the age of 10 and has recently been selected to play for the Midlands. In 2009, he won the best bowler award at the Bunbury Festival. He earned a place on the LeicestershireAcademy for 2009/2010 and eventually hopes to represent England at Senior Level.
James Cook, Rowing
James has been hugely successful over the past couple of years, with his main achievement of winning the 2010 GB training day. He aims to make selection for the U23 GB team and hopes to take part at the 2012 Olympics. He is currently training for the Junior World Championships in August.
Sheree Cox, Shooting
Sheree has been shooting for the past 7 years. She quickly joined the GB Junior rifle squad and gained her first major selection at the 2008 Commonwealth games where she brought back two medals. She has also won a Silver Medal at the 2009 Australian Youth Olympics.
Rhys Davey, Triathlon
Rhys was awarded the 'Most Passionate' athlete Award at the 2007 National Talent Orientation Camp. He has medalled at the age group National Championships and represented GB at the European Youth Relay Championships in 2008. He hopes to progress into Senior Elite Ranks and compete at International Level.
David Devey, Hockey
In 2009, David helped England to a 4th place finish at the U18 boys Championships and won gold medal at the 4 Nations Tournament in Seville. Described as a strong and determined player on the field, he has great potential to gain selection for the Senior International Hockey squad.
Emma Devine, Tennis
Emma recently returned to the performance academy in Scotland and won the AEGON Grand Prix U16 Masters title. She also won the U18 Scottish Indoor Open Championships and came runner up in the Ladies Indoor Championships. Emma hopes to win a Grand Slam one day and become No1 in the World. Emma is touring Europe on the ITF circuit in order to earn a world ranking. She is currently competing in Poland.
Kelsie Gibson, Adaptive Rowing
Kelsie has been in the sport for just over a year. Winners of the 2009 Kent Adaptive Rowing Championships and Indoor Adaptive Championships, she hopes to compete at the 2012 Paralympic Games.
Emelia Gorecka, Athletics ‑ Middle Distance
Emelia has been unstoppable in the cross‑country, winning the age group English National Championships for the past 2 years and gaining selection for the Junior Worlds this year where she finished first British athlete at the event.
Jenny Illige, Canoeing ‑ Sprint/Marathon
Jenny is a Junior and Senior GB international competitor, quickly accumulating national titles in K1 and K2 events over 500m, 1000m and marathon distances. She aims to become successful in both sprint and marathon disciplines at Senior international level and hopes to compete in the Olympics. Jenny is currently in Bradenburg for a World Cup event.
Jade Jones, Tae Kwon Do
Following Jade's win in the U55kg British Championships earlier this year, she has already qualified for the first Youth Olympics in Singapore this summer. She also won Silver at the Junior World Championships in March 2010. Her dream is to be the first Great Britain athlete to win Gold in Tae Kwon Do at the Olympics.
Sophie Lewis, Gymnastics ‑ Trampoline
Sophie represented Great Britain at the U16 World Championships last year and was selected for the 2010 U18 European Championships that took place in April. She hopes to represent GB at the 2015 World Championships and the 2016 Olympics.
Owen Livesey, Judo
Owen has been on the British Judo England programme for the past 5 years. He became the 2008 British Age Band champion and he successfully won the 2010 North West Senior Championships. He aims to be the British Senior No1 by the end of the year.
Samuel Lowe, Cycling ‑ Multi event
Sam became the winner of the British Cycling National Circuit Race Championships in 2008 and 2009. He also represented Great Britain in the prestigious Tour des Flandres last year and will be competing at the event again this year. He hopes to represent GB at the Olympics.
Sophie Meering, Archery
Last year Sophie became winner of the 2009 Senior Country Championships. She hopes to shoot for Great Britain at Junior level within the next 2 years and her ultimate achievement would be to represent Great Britain at the 2016 Olympics.
Leah McDerment, Basketball
Leah's finest achievement was to be the youngest player to get selected to represent England at the 2009 European Championships last summer. She currently plays for Manchester Mystics Club in the U16 League. Her ambition is to join an American University and turn professional.
Christopher McDermott, Handball
Christopher is currently the youngest member of the Senior GB Team. Over the past 3 years he has gone from playing Junior Handball in the UK to playing in front of 3,000 people for Aarhus in the Danish Premier League. He aims to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Grace Reid, Swimming ‑ Diving
Aged 13, Grace is already a member of the GB Junior Development squad. She came third at the 2010 British Gas National Cup. She aims to retain her Scottish National title in the 3m platform event and hopes to be selected for the Junior European and World Championships in 2010.
Paul Van Rietvelde, Badminton
Paul has held Scottish titles every year since he was 8. He has won a number of European tournaments and been ranked top European Men's Junior Doubles player. In 2008 he reached the semi‑finals of the Commonwealth Youth Games. In years to come, he would like to gain success at Olympic level. Paul is gaining some invaluable experience on the international circuit. He is currently playing in the American US Open Championships.
Amy Roberts, Cycling ‑ Multi event
Amy has won titles on the Track, on the Road and during the Cyclo‑Cross season. She presented one of the best power and leg speed ratios at the recent Olympic Talent Team training camp in Manchester and is a very strong contender for the ODP at the end of the year.
Craig Rodgie, Para Swimming S14
In 2007, Craig represented Scotland at the DSE National Junior Championships. He was then selected by UKSA to represent Great Britain in 2008 at the INAS‑FID European Swimming Championships. Now a key member within the men's relay team, he hopes to become World Champion in 2011.
Jeff Saunders, Boxing
Ranked No1 Senior in the U62kg, Jeff has won 3 Age Group British titles to date and has boxed for his country on several occasions bringing back numerous medals. He aims to become a GB Olympic Boxer, following the footsteps of his older brother Bradley.
Robbie Schofield, Athletics ‑ Middle/Long Distance
Robbie became winner of the 2009 England U20 Championships and finished 2nd at the Indoor Championships. He is now based at Loughborough University and hopes to make the final of the European U23 Championships in 2011.
Leanne Stephen, Table Tennis
Aged 15, Leanne received her first GB vest at the Irish Open where she beat the World No 8. She is now a member of the GB Paralympic training group for 2012 based in Sheffield. She is ranked No 1 in the UK U21 age group and 3rd overall and hopes to be selected for the GB Paralympic team in 2012.
Sam Scott, Volleyball
Sam is already a senior member of the GB Sitting Volleyball team and he was one of the star players of the team at the recent World Cup in Egypt. He recently transferred from Athletics to Sitting Volleyball due to classification issues. He hopes to compete at the 2012 Paralympics.
Daniel Talbot, Athletics ‑ Sprint
Last year, Daniel was ranked 1st in the U20 UK rankings in 200m and 3rd in the 100m. He also finished 2nd in the 200m at the 2010 U20 England Indoor Championships. He hopes to become a full‑time athlete and compete in the GB Senior relay team in 2012.
Toby Tree, Golf
Toby is the No 1 golfer of this group. He has been the most consistent player for the past 3 years, winning key tournaments every time. His recent victory at the England U16 Squad Championship in April confirms his status as the best U16 England player.
Joshua Ward‑Hibbert, Tennis
Joshua has successfully represented GB at age group level since he was 11. He is the 2009 Tennis Europe U16 champion, ranked 2nd in Europe for his age. He also helped the U16 Boys team qualify for Tennis Europe Winter Cups Main Draw with a victory against Sweden.
Anthony Watson, Rugby Union ‑ Men
Aged 16, Anthony was the youngest player to travel to South Africa for a tour with the England U18 team. He is a member of the London Irish Academy and the U16 England National Team. He hopes to become a professional player and represent England at Senior level.
Chloe Whyte, Table Tennis
Chloe won the 2009 ETTA Mike Watts Award for the Most Improved Junior Girl of the Year and she made an enormous contribution to the England team at the World Schools Championships this year. She eventually hopes to compete with the top players in the world, performing for GB at the 2012 Olympics. Chloe is currently representing Great Britain at the European Youth Championships in Turkey.
Michael Wilson, CP Football
Michael is the number one full back for the England CP football team. He has consistently been selected to play for England and GB for the past 5 years. He has his sights on the European Championships Glasgow this August and hopes to win the Gold medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games
The Jaguar Academy of Sport
The Jaguar Academy of Sport, launched in March 2010, aims to recognise, celebrate and inspire the very best of British sporting talent and success. It will fulfill this aim through a Bursary Fund, which will support new British sporting talent, a prestigious annual Awards Ceremony, and a unique club of the best of British sport which will be used to inspire the next generation. For more information visit www.jaguaracademyofsport.co.uk
SportsAid
SportsAid is a registered charity, number 1111612. SportsAid is the lead organisation in helping talented young athletes, providing a much needed boost, both financial and in recognition, at a key time in their development. SportsAid has been supporting emerging talent since 1976, distributing over £35 million in this time. There is a track record of success for the charity ‑ athletes involved in securing 18 of the 19 Gold Medals won by Team GB in Beijing had been helped by SportsAid. At the 2008 Paralympic Games over a third of GB's 42 Gold Medals involved athletes supported by SportsAid. Further information on SportsAid can be found at www.sportsaid.org.uk
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