Slalom success for University's elite athletes

slalomlist 
09 Mar 2011 14:56:08.487

PA 80/11

Elite athletes from The University of Nottingham have once again shown their potential in a nationwide competition, with two more medals in a dominant performance in the women’s canoe slalom.

Recent success in the pool has been backed up on the rapids as Alice Spencer and Jacquelyn Shaw, won gold and bronze medals respectively in the women’s K1 event at the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Slalom Championships 2011.

The pair who have both previously represented their country are no strangers to competing against each other and Alice admits the competition between the two has aided her development. However the two also teamed up with fellow student George Marshall at the BUCS event to secure a silver medal in the Slalom Mixed C2 race.

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After picking up her medal Alice, who is originally from Salisbury in Wiltshire, said: “Both Jacquelyn and I race against each other in national ranking events and that level of competition definitely keeps me on my toes. I have picked up two silver and one bronze medal in this discipline in previous years at BUCS, so I am delighted to have gone one better.”

The third year Human Genetics student is now focusing on the Great Britain selection meet at the London Olympic slalom course in April. In the build up to the competition she plans to make continued use of the University’s bursary scheme of which both she and Jacquelyn are beneficiaries.

Alice continued: “Being a sports bursar has helped me in a number of ways. Financially it has covered travel, accommodation and water fees. While the support offered has given me access to nutrition, physiotherapy and strength and conditioning advice. I have also benefited from physio screening which has highlighted weaknesses that can be improved with specific exercises to increase performance.”

Success on the rapids has been followed up by more medals on the lake, as Nottingham’s rowers also secured one gold and two silvers at the recent BUCS PwC Rowing 4s and 8s Head 2011, to continue the University’s strong tradition in water sport events.

After learning of the team’s success, Director of Physical Recreation and Sport Dan Tilley, said: “We have always had a strong pedigree both on and in the water, particularly in canoeing with the national watersports centre at Holme Pierrepont helping attract top canoeists to the University.

“Obviously we have seen the like of Tim Brabants and David Florence succeed at Olympic level and we hope that we can play our part in supporting the next generation to achieve their potential.”

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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’, has award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings. It was named ‘Europe’s greenest university’ in the UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, a league table of the world’s most environmentally-friendly higher education institutions, which ranked Nottingham second in the world overall.

The University is committed to providing a truly international education for its 40,000 students, producing world-leading research and benefiting the communities around its campuses in the UK and Asia.

More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranked the University 7th in the UK by research power.

The University’s vision is to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health.

More news from the University at: www.nottingham.ac.uk/news  

Story credits

For more information, contact Dan Tilley, Director of Physical Recreation and Sport, The University of Nottingham at dan.tilley@nottingham.ac.uk
Harry Waddle

Harry Waddle - Students Communications Officer

Email: harry.waddle@nottingham.ac.uk Phone: +44 (0)115 823 2353 Location: University Park

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