Student athletes at Solent to represent Great Britain

Having benefitted from Solent's Sport Excellence Programme (SEP), which sits in the top third of UK universities offering support for students with sporting ambition, Xavier and Tom are steadily making a name for themselves in canoeing.

The early-career athletes have been selected to compete in both the Under 23 European and World Championships as part of GB's canoe sprint teams. The pair will form part of the K4 men's 500m team alongside Dylan O'Connor and Benji Cabrera. Tom will also compete in the K1 500m race.

Both athletes are studying BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science at Solent, with Xavier graduating alongside his peers on Friday 11 July. The University's SEP students receive a bespoke programme of support, from a bursary and access to industry-standard facilities, to advice and guidance on becoming a dual career athlete.

On representing Great Britain, and how Solent has supported him on this journey, Xavier says:

"Being selected is a reflection of the hard work and dedication I've put in this year. Solent has played a huge role in my development - providing great facilities, amazing financial support and a supportive environment which has helped to push me to achieve my goals."

The championships are taking place in Romania and Portugal in July, giving Tom and Xavier an opportunity to showcase their skills on an international stage. Solent's Athlete Support Officer and gold-medal winning gymnast, Kelly Simm says:

"We're incredibly proud to see both Tom and Xav selected to represent Great Britain at this summer's U23 European and World Championships. They both consistently demonstrate a very high level of dedication and work ethic towards their sport and academics, so it's fantastic to see their hard work recognised with these selections. We wish them both the very best for the upcoming championships in July and for future selections."

Image credit: A. Edmonds