It’s been a busy summer for 21 year old Jon Gleave – summer ball, graduation, and tickets to a very special event, the Men’s 100m Olympic final.
Jon graduated with a BSc (hons) in Sport & Exercise Science this summer before returning to campus as a Student’s Union Officer. He has now taken up post as the new Vice President for Sport.
“I have had quite a busy summer already and it has just been topped off with my twenty-first birthday present- watching Usain Bolt and Oscar Pistorius at the London Games.
“It was awesome to watch Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, and Oscar Pistorius, the first double amputee to compete at the Olympics, ahead of the upcoming Paralympics. To experience the atmosphere was incredible; how such a huge stadium went deadly quiet before the start and then exploded as the race began, it was amazing!
“I feel really proud to have gone to the Games. Being born and bred in London and to see what we (the Country) have achieved in hosting such a world-famous event gives me a real sense of national pride.”
Jon has now returned to Bath and begun his work as a sabbatical officer, a position he was pleased to get.
“I was ecstatic when I was elected as the Students’ Union Sport Officer and am excited to have started now as it gives me the opportunity to give back to the University. Having been the Sports editor for the student newspaper Impact in my second and third years, it just seemed like the next step to take.”
Coming to university often provides students with the opportunity to try their hand at new sports and hobbies, and as a keen sportsman, Jon explains what drew him here and why he is looking forward to another year at the Claverton Down campus.
“The world class sporting facilities were one of the key reasons I came here. I looked around a lot of universities and when I visited Bath, the Sports Training Village was an area that really impressed me in that it was clearly a world class sporting facility breeding world class athletes.
“We have such a high quality of athletes here at Bath with the likes of Michael Jamieson and Dai Greene. It has been interesting to see them performing on their own stage compared to seeing them train every day in the Sports Training Village. It was good to witness how hard work can really pay off when pursuing your dreams.
“The fact that the University has accommodated a host of nation’s athletes including Malaysia, China and Russia, as well as being the training base for the Paralympics GB squad, is a testament to the investment and high standard of facilities we have here at Bath. Also, to have lecturers and members of academic staff involved with the Games shows we do more than just produce world class athletes.
“You don’t initially appreciate the calibre of person you have teaching you sometimes, but when you look outside of the lecture hall you begin to realise how lucky you are to be learning from such highly esteemed individuals.”