Elite Sport Performance Scheme: Meet the Athletes

We have recently had the pleasure of meeting up with a number of prominent sportspeople within our area. As you may have seen back in August, we interviewed Rebecca Bedford. This was in partnership with the University of Sheffield’s Elite Sport Performance Scheme, which Rebecca is part of. The interview took place just weeks before she jetted off to Canada, where she would be proudly representing Great Britain at the 2017 World Dwarf Games. We were able gain a fascinating insight into her training schedule, love for the game and her educational studies.

Rebecca exceeded all expectations at the Games. The multi-talented sportsperson won a total of six gold medals, as well as a silver one, in North America. This wasn’t just in badminton however. She was also successful in a remarkable variety of sports including table tennis, football and power-lifting.

Rebecca’s success is undoubtedly down to hard work and determination. With this said, every accomplished sportsperson needs a strong support network. The Elite Sport Performance Scheme has provided this to Rebecca as well as many others. Since meeting Rebecca, we have met with three other prominent athletes. Each of these make the most of the benefits Sport Sheffield have to offer them.

Steven Bayton finished ahead of 9,500 runners to win the Greater Manchester Marathon last year. He clocked an impressive time of 2:22:34 in that race for his proudest sporting moment. Our interview with him, which you can watch below, was perhaps our favourite that we have ever conducted! This took place in Steven’s training location out in the outskirts of Sheffield.

To us, it was clear to see this was his natural habitat. The scenic environment was great for filming in, and we couldn’t resist some epic shots from a moving vehicle. The fact that Steven kept up with the pace is – in hindsight – even more impressive, though!

We conducted the final two interviews in similarly glorious sunshine, this time at Weston Park in Sheffield. Charlotte Ward also represents Great Britain but in a much different capacity to Rebecca. She is an elite orienteer and has represented her country at the World Championships and World Cup. Charlotte has even travelled to as far Beijing to compete. We met up with us just days before she flew out to yet another tournament overseas.

As with each athlete on the scheme, Charlotte keenly informed us of the help she gets from the university. Like Rebecca, she mentioned Simon Vardy – the Performance Sport Development Officer at The University of Sheffield. It must be pleasing for him to hear of the students speaking so highly of his work! The access to strength and conditioning sessions also seem to be welcome by those on the scheme.

Finally, we were able to talk to Thomas Horton about his participation in the scheme. Thomas balances his studies at the University reading a PhD in Civil and Structural Engineering with another lesser-recognised sport. The 3,000m steeplechase – much like sprint orienteering – does not receive much press coverage. It was therefore great to learn more about it. Fortunately for us, Thomas was happy to introduce us to it and even brought his hurdles along with him!

Thomas, like all of those interviewed as part of the Elite Sport Performance Scheme series, is a celebrated sportsman. He won the English Championships last summer, finishing just ahead of yet another University of Sheffield athlete. This further demonstrates that Sport Sheffield is extremely committed to preparing their students for success. Kitlocker are very proud that we are associated with the extraordinary and charismatic talent-pool involved with the ESPS.

We would like to thank all the athletes for their time taking part in these interviews. Each student from the university offered a unique and expert insight into each of their sports. We’re delighted to provide each of them with the professional Nike outfits that their talents deserve. Hopefully the garments will play a small part in continued success for the future.

Find out more about the University of Sheffield’s Elite Sport Performance Scheme HERE.