Loughborough stars on podium down under...
LOUGHBOROUGH athletes are collecting a hatful of medals as the Commonwealth Games enters its second week.
With more than 100 current or former students at Loughborough University and Loughborough College in action, there have been medals in a wide variety of sports so far with the promise of more on the horizon.
The majority of medals have come in the pool with gold medals for James Wilby, Sarah Vasey, Siobhan-Marie O’Connor and Adam Peaty and several silver medals and bronze medals for good measure, but there has also been medal success in weighlifting for Zoe Smith who won silver in the women’s 63kg weightlifting category, bronze for Chloe Birch in the Team Badminton and bronze for Vicky Holland in the Mixed Relay triathlon event.
In the para-sports disciplines, Loughborough College alumna Sophie Thornhill has won two golds for Team England at the velodrome alongside pilot Helen Scott in blind and visually impaired (B&VI) cycling sprint and 1,000m events, Olivia Breen claimed gold for Wales in the women’s T38 long jump, while Hollie Arnold set a new world record on her way to gold in the F46 javelin for Wales.
Also on the podium was para-powerlfiter Ali Jawad who won bronze for the Team England in the lightweight division to complete a remarkable comeback after a severe flare up of Crohn’s disease, something he has lived with for the last 10 years.
Turn to page 76 for a Commonwealth Games round-up.