Sports Anniversary Games, BUCS Awards & Rowing Medals

A round of the sporting news stories from around the university this month, including athletics performances, medals for students-rowers and the BUCS awards.

BUCS Award recipient James Findon coaches athletics during a sprint workshop ealier in March 2016

Athletics

Friday 22nd July saw Dina Asher-Smith anchor the Great Britain women’s 4x100m relay team to world leading time at the Anniversary Games in London.

It was a last event on home soil for the Great Britain sprinter and King’s Sport Performance Athlete before heading to the Olympic Games which begin in Rio de Janeiro on the 5th August.

The Games, which celebrate the legacy of London 2012 were taking place in the Olympic Stadium and on a calm sunny evening, in conditions ideal for sprinting, the British quartet of Asha Philip, Desiree Henry, Dina and Daryll Nieta found their inspiration to complete the single lap in 41.81s.

The following day Dina returned to the track in the women’s 100m, finishing fourth in the final with a time of 11.09s.

Dina will be one of five students and alumni representing Great Britain next month in Rio.

Meanwhile, earlier in the week Philosophy alumnus Antonio Infantino, who recently made his competitive debut for Italy at the European Championships, was demonstrating his newly awarded international credentials as he posted personal bests in the 100m (10.39s)and 200m (20.53s) during the Lee Valley Summer Sprint Series Open.

Rowing

King’s student rowers helped England secure two medals at the Home International regatta. First year anatomy and biology student Nuala Gannon, and classicist Meg Neville, who compete for the University of London Boat Club, were selected as part of the women’s coxed four and women’s eight crews drawn from top club oarswomen nationwide to represent England in the annual regatta which sees representative crews from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales compete against one another.

Celebrating Success

Postgraduate student James Findon was presented with the Chris Potter Bursary award at the BUCS Awards Dinner earlier this month. The award named in memory of Chris Potter, a student at Bristol University and Athletic Union President in 1987/88, is awarded in recognition to a student who has demonstrated a significant contribution to student sport at their university.

Since arriving at King’s in 2013 to study for a masters, James has been continuously involved with university athletics and cross country club and has played a key part in expanding the club over the years, to the point where it enjoyed a record team entry at the BUCS Athletics Championships earlier this year.

Whilst dedicating time to help coach the current university squads, James has also been heavily involved beyond King’s, helping to create the London Colleges Athletics Series (LCAS) – a “Diamond League” style track and field series for London universities, and found LUCA (London Universities and Colleges Athletics) in order to help bring together organization of university athletic events within the capital.

More information about the award can be found here, and we congratulate James once more.