Olympic and Paralympic fever hits the University of Hertfordshire...

(13th April 2012)

OLYMPIC and Paralympic fever is well and truly alive at the University of Hertfordshire with athletes who train there looking to secure their Team GB places.

The range of superb sporting facilities and professional expertise on offer at the Hatfield venue has attracted some of the country’s top sportsmen and women and will also be playing host to some International visitors for their Pre-Games training camp. In addition, the Olympic torch will visit Hertfordshire Sports Village on Sunday, July 8, when it will coincide with the staging of the annual multi-sport festival the Herts Youth Games.

With so many connections to London 2012, The University’s Director of Sport Nick Brooking said: “This is of course a special year for sport and here at the Sports Village we are very pleased to be living up to our mission of being a service provider for all levels of athletes from beginners to the top performers.”

Of the Sports Village athletes, reigning GB 50m freestyle swimming champion Adam Brown has already booked his place at London 2012 in the men’s 4x100m relay team, and a number of others who use the Hertfordshire Sports Village are bidding to do the same.

Pistol shooter James Huckle won Commonwealth Games silver and bronze medals in 2010 and is looking to make his mark in the capital this summer.

The 21-year-old has been accessing services at Hertfordshire Sports Village, which is only 35 minutes by train from the Olympic Park, for the past three years through the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS).

He receives his strength and conditioning advice through Performance Hertfordshire and physiotherapy support through Bodybalance, the Sports Village's resident Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic at the Sports Performance and Development Centre.

Other London 2012 hopefuls who use the Sports Village as their TASS hub include disability shooter Ann Wild OBE.

Ann has switched sports from wheelchair basketball, in which she captained the GB team and competed at five Paralympic Games, to pursue a new challenge in shooting.

Goalball duo Georgina Bullen and Amy Ottway also use the University as their TASS hub.

Blind Five-a-side footballer David Clarke trains at the University of Hertfordshire as he prepares for his final Paralympics before hanging up his boots.

The 41-year-old has played for his country more than 100 times scoring more than 100 goals and will be hoping to fire Team GB to glory on his international swansong.

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