Talented Athlete Programme

The Students’ Union Talented Athlete Programme aims to support high performing student athletes to balance their university life whilst achieving their sporting potential.

The Talented Athlete Programme provides a comprehensive support package, allowing student athletes the opportunity to continue excelling in the sport they love, at the same time as studying for a world class degree at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).

Athletes looking to apply to be part of the Talented Athlete Programme must:

Be studying full-time or part-time at QMUL
Be competing in an Olympic, Paralympic or Commonwealth sport, OR competing consistently at an exceptional level in a sport outside of these games which is recogonised in British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS)
Be recognised and be able to demonstrate clear evidence of their Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth, NGB or professional representational pathway

Applications for the 2024/25 academic year have now closed.

Current Offer

Athletes who are accepted on to the programme will have access to the below:

Strength and Conditioning: Opportunity for strength and conditioning support from qualified coaches
Nutrition: Opportunity for nutritional support
Gym Access: Free gym membership allowing peak access to Qmotion Sport and Fitness Centre during the academic year
Dual Career Support: 1 to 1 support with a designated Dual Career Coordinator to ensure athletes are getting the most from the programme
Academic Flexibility: Opportunity to apply for academic flexibility when training or competition clashes may occur
Career Development: Career development workshops, to support and develop key employability skills
Performance Workshops: Access to wide range of performance workshops throughout the academic year

Apply here

Current Athletes

Kira Rothwell

Sport: Netball

Kira is currently a professional Netball player contracted to London Mavericks. She has represented England at multiple levels including U17, U19, U21, and Senior level.

Alexandra Oprisan

Sport: Badminton

Alexandra is currently ranked 6th in England for Women’s Singles Badminton. As well as having experience competing both internationally and nationally, she also competes regularly at a professional level.

Nadia Omar

Sport: Taekwondo

Nadia is currently an international level Taekwondo athlete, representing Somalia at the 2024 Paris Olympic Qualifiers in Senegal as well as the 2023 Senior World Championships in Azerbaijan, followed by the 2022 Junior World Championships in Bulgaria.

Dylan O'Connor

Sport: Sprint Kayak

Dylan has competed both nationally and internationally in Sprint Kayak. In U23 nationals he has ranked 1st, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. As well as ranking 11th globally.

Georgia Silk

Sport: Fencing

Georgia has been a member of various England and Great Britain squads since 2015, competing internationally as well as holding a place on the Senior British Team since 2021. Currently, Georgia competes at Senior World Cups and Grand Prix events as well as on the European U23 circuit.

Jacob Barr

Sport: Fencing

Jacob currently competes at international level in U20 World Cups as well as U17 European Championships for Great Britain. He has also represented England at the U20 Commonwealth Fencing Championships. Currently, Jacob is ranked 7th in U20 GB rankings.

Felix Wright

Sport: Badminton

Felix is currently ranked 8th in Men’s England Singles for Badminton and is also U19 English National Champion. He also holds multiple national tournament gold medals, as well as a top 16 placement at international level tournaments.

Joseph Owen

Sport: Athletics

Joseph has competed at a junior international level at cross country and is a senior consistent top-level national performer. He also competes in the Premier Division of the National Athletics League and is currently ranked 33rd in the country for the 800 metres race.

Amelia Beet

Sport: Karate

Amelia currently represents England’s Wado-Kai Karate-Do Renmei (EWKR) across the United Kingdom and Europe as both an athlete and coach. In 2024, she finished 5th place in the Kumite BUCS Championships, as well as medalling for both Silver & Bronze placements in the 18-21 female EWSKA Open in the West Midlands and Kata 18+ in the EWSKA Open, respectively.

Ellie Byrne

Sport: Beach Sprints Rowing

Ellie currently competes for the Great Britain Women’s Team for the Beach Sprints Rowing event. This year at the GB trials event, they placed 7th. As well as this, she was selected as a member of the Great Britain U19 Beach Sprints team – racing at the Coupe de Jeunesse in Donoratico, Italy and was the reserve for the World Beach Sprint Finals in Barletta, Italy.

Athlete Spotlight

These athletes are QM alumni that have competed at some of the highest levels within their chosen sport.

Lina Nielsen

Sport: Athletics

Lina Nielsen has represented TeamGB at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the 400m Hurdles, as well as winning a Gold medal at the 2024 British Athletics Championships, and a Bronze medal at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships.

Kaya Burrows

Sport: Fencing

Kaya Burrows is ranked 2nd in the Senior National Women’s Epee Fencing Championships and is ranked overall 5th in the country. She also competed at the 2024 Doha Fencing Grand Prix as well as the international Barcelona circuit.

James Moreby

Sport: Chess

James is the current UK U21 No. 1, and top 30 for all ages in the UK.

Connie Hayes

Sport: Cycling

Connie Hayes finished 16th at the elite national road circuit championships, 11th at national TT championships, 78th at the GP Iseburge international, 48th at the stage 1 tour de belle isle, and 18th in the Bristol GP elite national series.

Emily Goodchild

Sport: Fencing

Emily Goodchild finished top 8 at the Antalya International Satellite Competition and currently holds a ranking of 12.

How to apply

Applications for the 2024/25 academic year have now closed.

You can contact us by emailing su-performance.sport@qmul.ac.uk.

Talented Athlete Programme

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