Gardener joins Team at University of Bath
6th October 2009One of the most respected figures in British sport has joined forces with the team at the University of Bath to further enhance sport.
Olympic gold medallist Jason Gardener has teamed up with the University as an advisor working on major sporting events and campaigns.
Bath-born Gardener trained at the University of Bath’s Sports Training Village during an impressive track career that saw him lead off the British 4x100m quartet that struck gold at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and he captured four successive 60m titles at the European Indoor Athletics Championships.
In fact he won medals at virtually every major sports championship in which he competed in his career: Commonwealth Games gold (2002); World Indoor championships bronze and gold (2003 & 2004).
Gardener, who was made an MBE and received the Freedom of the City of Bath for his Olympic gold medal winning feats, retired from competitive athletics in 2007.
Since then he has been developing his skills and broadening his experience in a wide range of roles away from the track. They include being a board member of UK Athletics and a member of the executive committee of the British Athletes Commission.
He is one of the Youth Sport Trusts’ school sports ambassadors and was an ambassador for the 2008 UK School Games which were largely staged at the University of Bath’s world-renowned Sports Training Village. Gardener is also a performance consultant with the organisation and has developed a “Training for Champions” multi-sport conditioning package.
As part of UK Athletics’ Olympic Task Force Group, one of Gardener’s roles has been to help Britain’s athletes maximise home advantage at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Gardener, who has therefore made a seamless transition from elite athlete to senior management level, said he’s looking forward to his new role at the University. “This is a very exciting role,” he said. “I’ve always been very proud of Bath and am pleased to have this opportunity to promote everything that’s good about sport at the University of Bath.
“The University of Bath has a fantastic reputation for sport and I’m looking forward to helping to build on that reputation towards 2012 and beyond.
“I count myself as very fortunate in having been born and grown up in Bath, and having the opportunity to train at world-class facilities with world-class coaches without having to move away from my home town,” he added. “There are tremendous opportunities here for young people from across the region.”
Professor Kevin Edge, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bath, said: “We’re delighted to have Jason as part of our team. He has already made significant contributions to sport in Bath and the UK and I know he can play major roles as we strive to further enhance sport at the University of Bath and build on its world-class reputation.”
A wide range of elite sport squads and athletes have chosen to make the University of Bath their training base. ParalympicsGB announced, earlier this year, that they have chosen Bath as their training home from 2010 – 2012.
Pentathlon GB has its high performance centre at the University of Bath, while the British Skeleton programme and Great Britain’s beach volleyball programme are based at the University.
British Swimming has one of its Intensive Training Centres at the University.
Last Wednesday British Skeleton held a media day at the University of Bath as the British athletes prepared to start their campaigns to try to qualify for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
And next week the University will host an outstanding week of international sporting action, with England’s netballers facing world champions Australia at the Sports Training Village on Tuesday 13 October and Commonwealth champions New Zealand on Thursday 15 October. On Friday 16 October the England badminton team face Japan at the Sports Training Village.