Jason Gardener supports Universities Week

“Walking out for an Olympic final in front of thousands of fans – you can feel the energy of the crowd and I thrived on that.”

Jason Gardener is a Bath boy, born and bred. He is also an Olympic gold medallist who won world, Commonwealth and European titles galore during a glittering sprint career. He spent thousands of hours training for these major events at his sporting home – the University of Bath.

“I was seven-years-old at a schools sports day when I realised I could run fast. I remember being nervous and wanting to win and it’s the earliest memory of my life of being really good at something,” said Jason.

It was whilst watching sporting heroes such as Daley Thompson and Sebastian Coe at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 that Jason knew what he wanted to do with his sporting gift.

“I was captivated. It was my first memory of linking my talent with the Olympic Games. Seeing my heroes winning for Britain inspired me to want to emulate them and I’m sure it will be the same for many young people this summer watching their heroes at London 2012. I just didn’t realise at the time what a monstrous journey I was about to embark on!”

Having excelled at school and won every regional race going, Jason went to the English Schools Championships in 1992, his first national competition, and didn’t make the finals.

“It was the turning point for me. I realised that my talent alone wasn’t going to fulfil my Olympic dream. I had to develop other areas and surround myself with the right sort of environment and coaches which was difficult as there was no heritage of track and field in the south-west at the time.”

But turn things around he did and just a year later Jason was competing for Great Britain and the following year (1994) he won the World Junior Championships relay and took silver in the sprint.

“From around 2000 onwards the University really started to develop and the introduction of an indoor running track made a great difference and meant I didn’t need to go overseas on training camps. The support, training staff and facilities were a perfect mix to produce world class performances.”

Jason competed in Sydney Olympics 2000 but in his own words he ‘underperformed’ and the sprint team ‘failed’. He took a year to get over the disappointment but says he learnt from the experience to come back stronger four years later at the Athens Olympics in 2004.

Coming into those Games, the US sprint team were red hot favourites and after the Sydney disqualification the British team were given no chance by the UK media.

“On paper we were 11 metres slower than them which is massive in sprinting terms; we’d underperformed in the individual events and I’d had major surgery just months before so you can see why some thought we wouldn’t even make the final,” remembers Jason.

“But as a team we had complete confidence; we knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses. They were going for a world record. We knew that if we were going to win they would need to make a mistake and we would have to run the perfect race.”

As Jason, who was due to the run the opening leg of the 4 x 100m relay, went through his usual pre-race routine on the track he noticed he had been given a gold coloured baton.

“It felt like a sign. I tried to stay focused and not look around but I did snatch a quick look at the Nigerian sprinter and he had a bronze coloured one and when I looked over to the US theirs was blue! It gave me greater confidence that this was our night.

“It was a case of channelling all the nerves, excitement, experience and pressure into that one performance. We matched them over the first two legs and when they had a disastrous changeover on the third leg we nailed it and gave Mark Lewis-Francis the baton with a two metres lead.

“He handled that immense pressure brilliantly and brought us home for gold. To think we are part of UK sporting history is hard to comprehend even today.”

Jason is still heavily involved with the University of Bath as a sporting consultant and an ambassador.

“The University, its facilities and its staff, played a massive part in my career and I love the buzz around the place – particularly around an Olympics year with so much at stake.”

Professor Hamish Spencer, an evolutionary geneticist from Otago University in New Zealand, will be tracing the history over the last 200 years of western laws and attitudes surrounding first-cousin marriage, and will talk about the influence of the eugenics movement on a matter that clearly has eugenic overtones.

It is topical following recent controversial comments by British politicians about the consequences of cousin marriage in the Pakistani immigrant population in England.

Professor Spencer said: “The subject of marrying your cousin is likely to elicit jokes and laughter, and has even been exploited by advertisers.

“Darwin married his first cousin and worried for the rest of his life about the possible effects on his children. However research into birth defects in offspring of cousins found that the risk was much smaller than generally assumed.

“Women over the age of 40 have a similar risk of having children with birth defects and no one is suggesting they should be prevented from reproducing.

“Whilst it’s permissible in the UK, in 31 American states it’s illegal to marry your first cousin.

Such legislation reflects outmoded prejudices about immigrants and the rural poor and relies on oversimplified views of heredity. There is no scientific grounding for it.”

Professor Spencer is an evolutionary geneticist at Otago University’s Department of Zoology and was Head of Department there from 2009 to 2011. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and has recently become director of the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology & Evolution. He has a wide variety of research interests, from human genetics to the evolution of snails, birds, parasites and algae. Much of his work uses mathematical modelling to understand how populations evolve and respond to natural selection.

He is best known internationally for his work on genomic imprinting, an unusual feature of mammalian development where expression of a gene in an individual differs depending on whether it is inherited from the mother or the father.

Professor Spencer also has an interest in the history of the eugenics movement, and a paper he co-authored in the journal Plos Biology in December 2008, on the laws and attitudes to first-cousin marriage, received worldwide media attention.

He is visiting the University as a David Parkin Visiting Professor until June. While at Bath, he is working with Dr Jason Wolf on mathematical models of genomic imprinting.

The free public lecture entitled “Charles Darwin & beer advertising with some genetics thrown in” will take place at 6pm on Tuesday 1 May on the Claverton Campus in lecture theatre 3WN 2.1. There is free parking in the West Car Park from 6pm.

The men's 4x100 metre relay team review their practice runs at the Aviva World Championships Preparation Camp in San Antonio in Summer 2009. Photo courtesy Aviva/Getty images

Dr Salo has worked with elite athletes for over 20 years, studying the fundamental principles underlying performance to improve their technique and efficiency, specialising in sprinting and hurdling.

He was the only biomechanical technical personnel in Team GB for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and this summer he will advise and support athletes in their preparations, right through to the Games.

“The Olympics is the pinnacle of an athlete’s career,” he said, “so anyone who works with athletes wants to get them to the best possible condition.”

Dr Salo combines his academic expertise with an inside understanding of athletics drawn from his experience of coaching international athletes in his home country of Finland.

His research focuses on mathematical modelling for sprint starts, investigations into sprinting on bends, for example in the 200 metres, and work with 4×100 metre relay teams on the efficiency of baton exchanges.

He films athletes on the track and analyses their movements through specialist software, eliminating the traditional reliance on practical trial and error to perfect performance.

Sometimes results can be surprising, in the case of sprinting on bends, analysis has directed coaches to use techniques that seem to be counter-intuitive but prove effective.

Dr Salo has worked with athletes who have achieved medal success, notably the winning 4×100 metre men’s relay team at the Athens Olympics 2004, including Bath’s Jason Gardener.

“When the team took the gold in Athens I had already flown home from the preparation camp, and I was screaming at the television from the sofa,” he said.

Dr Salo has high hopes for the British performance at London 2012. “London is going to be a huge sporting success for the British team,” he said. “Home nations always exceed predictions.”

At the Games Dr Salo will be in the Olympic Stadium filming races to review technique with coaches between heats.  “When you’re actually in the stadium and the race starts it’s nerve-wracking, but at the same time I can’t be nervous because I have to hold the camera steady to be able to analyse the race!”

To be part of the team that will help the host nation’s athletes go for glory is a high point in Dr Salo’s career. “London 2012 is going to be the closest I can get to a home Olympics, as Finland will never host the summer Games, so naturally I’m really excited,” he said. “The athletes are so motivated and there’s definitely an extra buzz. It’s great to be part of it.”

Universities Week is a national campaign to increase public awareness of the wide and varied role the UK’s universities play. This year it is focusing on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

To coincide with the campaign, we have launched a dedicated Olympics area of our website to tell the story of our involvement in the Games, and shine a light on some of the individual athletes, staff, students and alumni who have key roles in both the build-up and delivery of London 2012.

‘Olympic and Paralympic Games: Our story’ covers all aspects of the Games: from the elite UK and international athletes basing their training at  Bath to the science and research behind elite performance; from alumni who have helped to design the state-of-the-art velodrome to a student playing a part in the opening ceremony.

Bath’s Olympic hero Jason Gardener and Paralympian medallist Ben Rushgrove have joined high profile ambassadors which include Lord Seb Coe, John Inverdale and Dame Kelly Holmes to support Universities Week. They have given interviews about the importance of universities to London 2012 and UK sport, as part of a series of ‘Talking Head’ films created especially for the campaign.

Our academics will feature in two national reports that will be launched at a Parliamentary event on Wednesday 2 May to showcase the diverse contribution universities are making to the Games, including how university research and developments underpin sporting success.

Universities Week will culminate in the BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport) Outdoor Athletics Championships, which will be held in the Olympic Stadium as part of the London Prepares series. Fifty students from Bath will take part in the event and be some of the first athletes to compete in the new stadium.

“Universities Week 2012 is an excellent opportunity to showcase some of the fantastic work universities are contributing to the world of sport”

— Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell, the University’s Vice-Chancellor.

“For a University with a proud tradition in sporting excellence, both in terms of performance and research, we are very excited about the key role we will play in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer. Our London 2012 story goes well beyond sporting performance, stretching into all aspects of the Games, and the new area of our website will help to tell this story.”

Universities Week is coordinated by Universities UK and BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport). Nicola Dandridge, Universities UK’s Chief Executive, added “From supporting top athletes to providing training facilities for students and local communities, producing world-class sporting research and hosting Olympic teams from across the globe, universities are working together to contribute to the UK’s Olympic effort.

“Once again with Universities Week we hope to show that it is not just students who benefit from university, but the whole of UK society.”

For a University with a proud tradition in sporting excellence, both in terms of performance and research, we are very excited about the key role we will play in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer.

Competing at a home Olympic or Paralympic Games is a once in a lifetime opportunity for any athlete. We are a major centre for high-performance sport in the UK and have over 200 junior and senior international level athletes who call our £35 million Sport Training Village ‘home’ in terms of their training, and many of these combine this training with ongoing academic study.

Since 1996, 26 medals have been won at the Olympics and Paralympics by athletes based here and we are confident London will see that tally added to.

As well as home-based athletes we are delighted to be playing host to a number of international teams and individuals in the lead-up to the Games.

The University was chosen in 2009 to host Paralympics GB’s preparation camps in the build-up to London, and around 200 of Britain’s finest Paralympic athletes across 10 sports will make their final preparations for 2012 at the Sports Training Village.

Members of the Malaysian Olympic team will finalise their Olympic preparations on campus. They will be joined by two powerhouses of world sport: China will be basing 25 top swimmers here while a 30-strong contingent of Russia’s top track and field athletes will make their final preparations on campus.

But our London 2012 story goes well beyond sporting performance and stretches into all aspects of the Games.

Our sports science research has helped to improve elite performance, and our ongoing research into disability and sports exercise will see us become a centre of excellence in this field and create a real lasting legacy from the summer.

We have current students, alumni and staff all taking key roles in both the build-up and delivery of London from helping to design the state-of-the-art velodrome track to playing a part in the opening ceremony.

‘London 2012 – Our Story’ aims to tell those stories of extraordinary people and achievements and how the University of Bath will be playing its part in the greatest sporting event on the planet.

Architecture student James Boon, 23, was recognised for his social responsibility enterprise ‘ElephantBranded.com’ which sends a school bag to an African or Asian child for each product sold through the website.

James models one of his company's bags, which have won him the Google accolade.

With nearly one hundred entries to choose from, a panel of judges including UK Digital Champion Martha Lane Fox and Channel 4 news presenter and correspondent Jon Snow, whittled down the entries based on creativity, innovation, reach, impact and response to social need.

James is currently in his fifth year of study to become an architect, and says that he was inspired to start his company following a placement year in which he designed and built schools in Africa and Asia. James also visited Japan shortly after last year’s tsunami and said that seeing children with so little inspired him to do something positive to help.

James says he has benefited from the Students’ Union’s enterprise schemes in setting up his company while also focusing on his architectural studies. He said: “I have been very involved with BANTER Entrepreneurs’ Club, and have had quite a bit of success in a number of their competitions.

“I have applied to become the President of BANTER next year, and we have society elections soon. It will be a large undertaking in the final year of my studies while also running the company, but it would be fantastic to be elected and to give back some of the support I have received.”

ElephantBranded operates on a one-for-one policy, meaning that every purchase made results in a school bag, stationery or books being sent to children who need it, supporting their education. The company’s goods are also sustainable, being made out of old cement bags.

Each winner has been invited to participate in Google’s annual Zeitgeist event in London on 21 and 22 May alongside some of the greatest minds and innovators of today. James’ schoolbags impressed judges so much that they will be given to delegates at the conference.

James said: “I am thrilled to have been named one of Google’s Zeitgeist Young Minds – it is an honour and I can barely believe it! The number of entries and the quality is incredible, and I am really excited about meeting lots of other young entrepreneurs at the conference in May. It will be a fantastic opportunity to make great contacts.”

Student’s Union Enterprise Manager, Siobain Hone, said: “James has done extremely well in setting up ElephantBranded and I have been very impressed with his dedication to social enterprise. His experiences through his architecture studies have clearly influenced his decision to set up the company. James certainly deserves this fantastic accolade from Google and I wish him all the best with the future of his company.”

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A 30-strong contingent of Russia’s top track and field athletes will train at the University in the build-up to the Games.

The delegation, which will also include support staff, will arrive on campus on 20 July and depart for the Olympic Village on 1 August.  

As well as making use of the world-leading sports facilities at the University, they will also stay in accommodation on campus.

Professor Dame Glynis Breakwell, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath, said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming the Russian athletics team to the University this summer. They are the latest team to choose Bath as their pre-Games base and their decision further enhances ourstanding as one of the UK’s leading sports training bases.

“We have over 30 Russian students currently studying at Bath and a thriving alumni community and I’m sure they will be thrilled to hear the news.”

Stephen Baddeley, Director of Sport at the University of Bath, said: “The Russian Federation is one of the powerhouses of world athletics and we’re pleased and proud to announce that the Russian athletics team will be training with us at Team Bath in the build-up to the2012 Olympics.

“The Sports Training Village will have a truly international flavour this summer, with athletes from Malaysia, China, Ghana, Egypt and Barbados as well as the UK, and a wide range of other countries, training at Team Bath ahead of 2012.

Cllr David Dixon, Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “Bath & North East Somerset Council already has a very strong relationship with Russia throughenjoying the presence of many visitors during the year. As a consequence we are thrilled that we will be welcoming the athletics team in the build up to the Olympic Games.”

The Russian Federation finished second behind the United States in the medal tables at both the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Korea.

The team landed six gold medals, one short of the USA, as well as five silvers and seven bronzes at the Beijing Olympics.

Their medallists included Yelena Isinbayeva, who set who set world and Olympic records en route to gold in the women’s pole vault, while there were also gold medals for Gulnara Galkina-Samitova in the women’s 3000m steeplechase and Olga Kaniskina in the women’s 20k walk.  The women’s 4×100m relay quartet also took gold, while Andrey Silnov won the men’s high jump and Valeriy Borchin won the men’s 20k walk.

World, Commonwealth and European champion 400m hurdler Dai Greene is among the British track and field athletes who train at the University of Bath.  Tasha Danvers, Andy Pozzi, Jack Green, EilidhChild and Lawrence Clarke also train in the same group coached by Malcolm Arnold, UK Athletics’ National Event Coach – Hurdles.

The Russians are the latest in an impressive list of teams to announce their intention to finalise their 2012 preparations at Team Bath.

China is basing 25 of its top swimmers at the University ahead of the Olympic Games while members of the Malaysian Olympic team will train at the University ahead of the Olympics. The Malaysians have been using the University of Bath as a regular training base since early 2010 in the lead up to large European-based tournaments.

Sports Training Village staff will need to be on their toes once the Olympic Games close on 9 August to turn round the facilities to host the ParalympicsGB camp, featuring ten sports and more than 200 team members, in the run up to the Paralympic Games.