Two former students who were in receipt of Sports Scholarships – set up to support their athletic pursuits alongside their studies – have medalled in Paris.
University alumna and triathlete Hannah Moore won bronze in the Women's PTS4 category in 1:16:01.
It proved to be a remarkable podium place for the 27-year-old who only returned to the sport in 2023 after a two-year hiatus.
On making the podium, Hannah said:
“I honestly can’t believe it. It’s been such a wild hard journey - seven years of hard work to get here.
“With my classification not being in Tokyo and three or four years out of the sport with injury, illness and mental health, I just don’t know what to say.
“The crowds are nothing I have ever experienced before. It spurred me on. I’ve had a tough week here and was unsure about how today would go so to have won a medal means the world to me.”
Also bringing home silverware is former º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College student and sports scholar Zac Shaw. Having originally placed 4th in the Men’s T12 100m, he was awarded the bronze medal following the disqualification of Turkey athlete Serkan Yildirim.
Zac got another opportunity to enjoy medal success inside the Stade de France as º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ athletes played a huge role as Great Britain won silver in the 4x100m Universal Relay. Alongside wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorn, the quartet clocked a European record time of 46.01 to win silver in blistering fashion. The medal was also confirmed as ParalympicsGB’s 100th of the Paris Games.
Elsewhere, current º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ student Henry Urand finished an agonising 4th in the Men’s PTS3 category. The 22-year-old was second fastest in both the bike and run legs and will surely take great pride in his debut Paralympic performance.
Tom Young, current sports scholar and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic champion, narrowly missed out on the podium places in the Men’s 100m T38 Final after finishing 4th.
Over in the Men’s 1500m T46 Final, student and sports scholar Luke Nuttall finished 7th with a season's best time of 3:57.62.
Alumnus and former sports scholar Dan Greaves – appearing in an incredible seventh consecutive Paralympic Games – finished 6th in the Men’s Discus F64 with a throw of 53.50.
Alumnus Zak Skinner finished 6th in the Men’s 100m T13, clocking 10.93 seconds in an ultra-competitive final. The 25-year-old also looked in good condition in the heats and produced a performance to be proud of. Later in the Games he finished a superb 4th in the Men’s long jump T16.
Two former sports scholars, Amy Conroy and Laurie Williams, made appearances for GB in the wheelchair basketball. The team finished 5th having beaten Germany in their final match on 7 September.
In wheelchair tennis, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ College student Abbie Breakwell suffered defeat in the opening round of the Women’s Doubles. Competing alongside Lucy Shuker, Breakwell lost 6-2, 6-4 to Netherlands duo Jinte Bos and Lizzy De Greef. The following day, she was back in action for the Women’s Singles where she fought hard against USA’s Maylee Phelp, but was ultimately defeated 6-3, 6-4.
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º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ-linked athletes return home with 19 Paralympic medals, totalling 35 medals across both Paris games.
Read about all of our competitors and check out research stories over on the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ athletes on the global stage website.
