Student athletes shine on the world stage with Turing funding

Piran Phillips, Alex Murphy and Tihon Zutskov have all used the funding to support overseas training and competition as they continue to progress their sporting careers on the world stage.

Third-year student Piran Phillips has been competing at the highest level of ocean kayaking, taking part in the World Ocean Series in Australia. Following the event, Piran returned to the UK ranked number one in the world. He is set to return to Australia next week to compete for the world title.

First-year Sports and Exercise Science student Alex Murphy used the funding to attend a high-performance training camp in Calpe, Spain, as part of his preparation for the road cycling season. Alex will compete in the Elite British National Championships, the UCI CiCLE Classic International, and a range of international races across France and Belgium.

Sailor Tihon Zutskov also benefited from the funding, using it to support an overseas training camp ahead of the Sailing U21 World Championships in December. Following his appearance at the Championships, Tihon has now begun preparations for senior World Cup events taking place in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Hyères (France) and Kiel (Germany).

Speaking about the impact of the funding, Alex said:

“The funding supported my attendance at a training camp which built the foundations for the year of racing ahead and ultimately helped me get fitter. I was able to get in the miles and improve my endurance in the mostly sunny, warmer weather conditions.”

Southampton Solent University’s Sport Excellence Programme provides student athletes with expert practitioner guidance, dual-career support and access to a high-performance sporting environment. A dedicated support team works closely with athletes, including former World and Commonwealth medallist and Solent alumni, Kelly Simm.

In her role as Solent’s Athlete Support Officer, Kelly said:

"The opportunity for our athletes to access additional support for international travel is invaluable. Training and competing abroad provides our student athletes with significant benefits, both in their sporting development and in the wider life skills they gain from these experiences.

“As a dual career accredited university, we are able to offer academic flexibility which, alongside collaboration with Solent’s wider support teams, enables us to support athletes to fully take advantage of the opportunities they have earned through their hard work and commitment to their sport"

The University offers three tiers of financial bursary for members of the Sport Excellence Programme, ranging from £1,000 to £5,000, alongside access to state-of-the-art sporting facilities. Those selected for the programme also benefit from support in a range of areas such as strength and conditioning, sports therapy, psychology, nutrition, sport science evaluation.

Turing funding, provided by the UK government, supports students undertaking study, training, volunteering or work placements overseas. Funding can also be accessed for up to 12 months after graduation, enabling students to continue developing their skills and pursuing opportunities abroad.