‌Adam Gemili
 

Adam Gemili reached the semi-final in the 100m of the London 2012 Olympics. In 2011, he won a silver medal in the 2011 European Athletics Junior Youth Championship and at the same event won silver with the GB 4x100 m relay team. Adam is in first year of a Sports Science degree.

 Andre Fernandez

Earliest Sporting Memory: I grew up playing on the same track where Linford Christie & Daley Thompson trained.

Who would you most like to invite to dinner and why: Nelson Mandela, to ask his definition of strength.

Least favourite training session: 5x8’s in the gym, it’s a Killer!

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Lumar Sylvester

In his first year as a UELSports scholar, Lumar Sylvester won a bronze medal in the 200m at the BUCS T&F championships in the Olympic stadium in May 2012.  After a season which saw him smash both his 200m and 400m personal bests, Lumar finished 20^th in the British senior rankings and 4^th in the u23 category.  Lumar is studying towards an undergraduate degree in Computer Networks.

Sporting heroes: Maurice Green, Michael Johnson, Asafa Powell and all my coaches.

Favourite training session: Winter training, speed and speed endurance sessions.

Biggest frustration: When I don’t compete as well as I should.

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Rochelle Jones

Rochelle is a very talented triple jumper who has been fortunate enough to be in the same training group as Chris Tomlison (GB), Yamille Aldama(GB) and  Trecia Smith(Jam). Some of her best performances have come in the U20/U23 European triails where she finished 8^th and the indoor BUCS championships in 2011 where she finished 3^rd. She is currently ranked 24^th at U23 national level and is working towards another big performance at BUCS in 2013. Rochelle is in her second year of a Sports Science degree.

‌Brandon McGill

Brandon McGill, a basketball player from Washington DC is the first of our two international scholars.  Brandon comes to UEL on the back of a very successful colligate career which included being the conference lead for scoring and minutes played in his junior year and for assists per game as a senior.  Brandon has made all-regional and all-tournament teams back home, and has come to UEL to study Sports Management.

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Douglas Bennett

‌Basketballer Douglas Bennett was a key member of UEL and NASSA’s promotion-winning sides in 2012, and will look to carry that momentum into the 2012-13 season.  Dougie, a level 2 basketball coach, has played for and captained the Scotland U18 side.  After trialling for the GB under 20s in 2012, making the squad will be one of his main focuses for the year ahead. Dougie is a second year Sports Coaching student.

Sporting Heroes: Allen Iverson, Kevin Durant, Muggsy Bogues

Favourite sporting motto: “If it’s to be, it’s up to me”

Favourite Film: Heart of the game & Coach Carter.

 Henry Utku

Basketball player Henry Utku has represented England U16s and U18s and GB u20s before spending some time in the states on scholarship.  He has played national league basketball in Turkey, and is currently completing his studies in Sports and Exercise science at UEL.

Rachel James

Advice you would give to a young athlete: Be confident and believe in yourself, no one can stop you getting better except yourself

Random facts about you: I like to eat cakes and snack on junk e.g. Biscuits and chocolate

Favourite sporting motto: “I can accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying” (Michael Jordan)

Will Ashby

Will Ashby, has represented the East of England, and like Douglas Bennett was a key player for the all conquering UEL and NASSA sides in 2012.  Will is the UEL Basketball club Chairman.

 Andrew Burns

Andrew Burns, has competed  at the Senior European Championships, the World University Games, the European U23 Championships and the Commonwealth Championships.  Andy was Olympic reserve in 2008, the same year that he took the Commonwealth Championship title.  He currently has his sights set on the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, but before then he will hope to win UEL’s first male BUCS judo medal.

Best part of being a high performance sports person: Waking up every day with a goal of being a better athlete and working on improving my abilities.

Random fact about you: Lived in Japan during a gap year at university.

Advice you would give to a young athlete: “Talent can only get you so far, embrace hard work and chase perfection”.

 Szandra Szogedi

Szandra Szogedi is a former European Youth Olympics and European Under 16 Judo Champion.  Szandra’s only lowlight in a season which saw her compete at World Championships, win African Championship bronze, storm to the BUCS title, return a breakthrough result at the Dusseldorf Grand Prix, and make the world top 30, was her narrow failure to make the Ghana team for London 2012.  Szandra competes in the 57kg category and is studying Sports Journalism at UEL.

Sporting heroes: Petra Narcks (Slovenian Judo player) and Bernadette Baczko (Bulgarian Judo Player).

Favourite sporting motto: “Nothing is impossible”

Best part of being a high performance sportsperson: We get to travel around the world. Sport gives you a lot for a life time, which often helps go through daily without realising it.

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‌Alan Sinclair

Alan Sinclair was one of the winning UEL double at the European University Championships in 2011, and added to his growing BUCS medal tally with 6 medals during 2012.  Alan was originally selected for this summer’s European Senior Championship, but a broken fibula meant that he unfortunately had to pull out of his first senior team.  Alan will be spending the start of the academic year rehabilitating from his injury, before hopefully adding even more silverware to the collection.  Alan won 4 medals when representing Scotland at the 2010 Commonwealth Rowing Championships and is studying psychology at UEL.

Who would you invite to dinner and why: Stephen fry – fountain of all knowledge.

Best part of being a high performance sportsperson: Knowing I’m not doing an office job!

Sporting heroes: James Cracknell, Rob Waddell and Usain Bolt

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‎David Bell

David Bell is yet another of our rowers who has represented GB at European U23 Championships and World University Championships.  His impressive CV includes EUSA, European U23 and BUCS titles.  He finished 5^th in the very competitive single scull at this month’s World University Championships and was UEL’s first representative at this level.  David won 5 BUCS medals last year, and will be looking to add to his collection before completing his Masters in Investment and Risk Management later this year.

Favourite sporting motto: “Destiny doesn’t decide if I win, I do”.

Biggest frustration with sport: Crew selection politics.

Nickname and why: “Shorty” for being 6’1 when all my crew mates are a lot taller.

 David Loveday

David Loveday is a well decorated rower having won medals with England at the commonwealth Rowing Championships and the Home Internationals.  David is studying for an MSc in Strength and Conditioning.

Favourite training session: Time trialling with the rest of the squad, fast, competitive, and the closest thing to actually racing.

Favourite sporting motto:”Wining is not a sometime thing, it’s an all time thing ...you don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time” (Vince Lombardi)

Earliest sporting memory: Watching 5 nations Rugby with my dad on a Sunday when I was very little.

 Peter Hardcastle

Peter Hardcastle represented his native Australia at the Sydney, Athens and Beijing Olympics.  Since retiring from international rowing in 2008 Peter has concentrated on coaching, as well as rowing in domestic competitions, completing a couple of ironman triathlons and running the London Marathon.  He has also competed in the ITU age-group Long Distance World Championships and has come to UEL to study for a masters in Risk Management.

 Rebecca Humphreys

Rebecca Humphreys, has represented GB at World U23 Championships, and is a 3 times silver medallist at European University level.  She was a member of the women’s lightweight double sculls that won UEL’s first female rowing title at last year’s BUCS small boats head.  Rebecca is studying medical physiology.

Best part of being a high performance athlete: Staying in shape and feeling healthy, doing something that I love with lots of support.

Biggest frustration with sport: Lazy people with huge potential

Who would you most like to invite to dinner: Michael McIntyre-The man is hilarious.

 Tom Wilkinson

Rower Tom Wilkinson has represented GB at 3 Senior World Championships, 6 World Cups, 3 under 23 World Championships and 1 Junior World Championships.  As if that wasn’t an impressive enough CV, he has also been 4 times a winner at the Henley Royal Regatta and 5 times a national Champion.  Tom won his first BUCS medals with UEL last season and is in his second year of studying photography.

Earliest Sporting memory: My first try for Redingensians RFC

Favourite training session: Upper body weights

Sporting heroes: Mark Hunter

 Anna Fitzpatrick

Anna Fitzpatrick is a junior Wimbledon semi-finalist and has won 3 Futures singles titles.  She has twice reached the main draw of the Wimbledon doubles, and has reached the 2^nd round of singles qualifying. She has come to UEL to study sports science.

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Marshall Tutu

Tennis player Marshall Tutu has made the main draw at 20 futures competitions, won the Frinton British tour in 2011, and achieved 2 ATP points at the age of 18.  He has won the Essex U18 and U21 men’s singles titles, and is at UEL to complete a degree in Sport and Exercise science.

 Random fact about you: I can slam dunk.

Favourite training sessions: Core drills, forehand drills.

Best part of being a high performance sportsperson: Behaving in a positive way, form winning and losing with good manners.

 Dwain Bowman

Dwain Bowman has been fundamental in the development of volleyball at UEL.  He plays national league and Super 8 volleyball for the SportsDock-based London Lynx.  Dwain reached the quarter finals of the 2012 beach volleyball student cup, is a 3-times London Youth Games champion, and has competed at World Youth Games.  He is studying Business Finance with Mathematics.

Sporting heroes: Rocky, fictional but inspirational

Favourite sporting motto: “Never let a win get to your head, or a loss get to your heart”

Nickname and why: Fly boy because I can jump.

Henrique Araujo 

Henrique Araujo has played Superliga volleyball in his native Brazil and won many state and national competitions.

Random fact about you: I am a Freelance Photographer

Best part of being a high performance sports person: You get to do what you love, keep fit and travel

Advice you would give to a young person: Be a hard worker, train every day.

 Miroslav Gospodinov 

Miroslav Gospondinov is UEL’s Higher Education Volleyball Officer, and has played national league volleyball in his native Bulgaria, and Super 8s volleyball for London Docklands. 

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Yassir Sliti

Yassir Sliti has over 40 England caps, and having been a member of the GB squad, just missed out on London 2012 selection.  Yassir will be studying Sports Management at UEL.

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‌Ali Jawad

Ali Jawad represented team GB in the Powerlifting at both the Beijing and London Paralympic Games.  A controversial decision saw him miss a medal at London.  After taking a year out of his studies, Ali is back at UEL to complete his degree and focus on medalling in Rio.  He is seven times British champion, and holds the British record in the 56kg, 60kg, and 75kg classes.  Ali won the world junior title in 2008, and was the European junior champion in 2007.

Favourite sporting motto: Why be the best, when you can be the greatest.

Ideal job: National Coach, coaching athletes to the Paralympics.

Who would you most like to invite to dinner and why: Michael Johnson as he’s my idol, I could learn a lot from him.

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‌Asghar Nasimi

Combined honours student Asghar Nasimi was reserve for the GB sitting volleyball team for London 2012.  While his paralympic dream has been put on hold until 2016, Asghar has already represented GB at European Championships, Intercontenintal Cup, Continental Cup and World Cup events.

 Sam Bezzina

Fresher Sam Bezzina is a member of local boxing club West Ham Boys.  Sam has represented England at an international level and is a junior ABA finalist.  Sam is a qualified coach, and currently runs a boxing class at Newham College as part of West Ham ABC’s satellite project. 

Who would you most like to invite to dinner and why: Frank Warren, as I’m sure we could sort out a professional contact for the future.

Ideal Job and why: Strength & conditioning coach with elite boxers because I would enjoy working with the best in the sport.

Favourite training session: Sparring sessions

 Sam Brearey

Sailor Sam Brearey is a current world champion, and won European titles in 2010 and 2011, and a European junior title earlier this year. He has represented GB in 5 different boat classes and has previously received Olympic development funding. Sam has also played county rugby and regional hockey, and is studying sports management at postgraduate level.

Advice you would give to a young athlete: Never let anyone tell you, you’re not good enough and always strive to be better.

Favourite training session: The winter training sessions

Favourite sporting motto: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”