PA 233/12
Graduates from The University of Nottingham have showcased their sporting talent and continued their alma mater’s Olympic success after securing five medals at London 2012.
With two gold, two silver and one bronze, the University was the UKs second most successful higher education provider at the Games, according to Podium’s medal table. The success continues a strong Olympic tradition which saw Nottingham pick up six medals between 1992 and 2008.
Success on the water
Once again it was on the water that Nottingham excelled in London, with four medals following the three that the University won in Beijing. Biology graduate Chris Bartley began the medals haul with silver in the Men’s Lightweight Four Rowing event at Eton Dorney.
Just hours later, more success followed as mechanical engineering graduates Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott took gold in the C2 Canoe Slalom, while — in the same event — David Florence (Mathematical Physics) took silver for the second successive Games.
After the Games, two-time Olympic silver medallist David Florence said: “It's been amazing to have been a part of London 2012 and to have won a second Olympic medal is incredible. To have come so close to the gold is frustrating, but I’m still very proud of my achievement.
In no hurry to retire from the sport he loves before Rio 2016, David looks back on his days at University as a time when he made real progress: “I found it difficult combining my studies and training, but to have the national water sports centre on my doorstep and the support of the University allowed me to make huge improvements in my time studying there.”
Five is the magic number
An agonising wait followed as fellow alumni, including 2008 Gold medallist Tim Brabants (Medicine), Nigerian Canoe Sprint star Johny Akinyemi and rower Olivia Whitlam (Environmental Science) missed out on medals. But with just two days of the Games remaining Anne Panter put a series of injuries behind her to win bronze with the GB Women’s Hockey Team.
Graduates Nick Catlin (History) and Rob Moore (Economics) and future student Harry Martin (Economics), could not replicate Anne’s success with the GB Men’s Hockey team eventually finishing fourth, but Assistant Director of Sport Nigel Mayglothling, still believes that the Games represent a huge success for sport at the University.
He said: “It is fantastic to see our former students doing so well. I am delighted for our canoeists in particular and proud of our hockey boys despite their near miss for a medal.
“Our medal winners have proved that you can balance academic achievement and sporting excellence, and we will continue to work hard to help our students do just that on the road to Rio and beyond.”
Find out more about the University's Olympic Contribution, via our blog or Exchange: London 2012 Olympic Games Special.
— Ends —
For up to the minute media alerts follow us on Twitter.
Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’, has 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is also the most popular university in the UK by 2012 application numbers, and ‘the world’s greenest university’. 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.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2011, for its research into global food security.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fund-raising campaign, will deliver the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…