Sarah Thomas representing GB Hockey
Olympic success for Exeter Alumna
This was the first medal won by the ladies Olympic Hockey Team since 1992 and is a significant moment for British Hockey, raising the profile of the sport around the country. Sarah was a pivotal member of the team, playing in every Team GB match and scoring twice: against Japan in the group stages and then against New Zealand in the crucial bronze medal play off.
During her time studying at Exeter Sarah received a Sports Scholarship, which supports University of Exeter Students to reach their full sporting potential by providing funding and a comprehensive range of athlete support services. She was also part of the Women’s hockey 1st team, reaching the final of the 2002 British University’s Sports Association (BUSA) championship.
Since then Sarah has gone from strength to strength. London 2012 was Sarah’s second Olympics having also competed at Beijing in 2008. She has won 65 caps for Team GB and a further 69 for the Welsh national side. Prior to this year’s Olympics Sarah played for Dutch side Rotterdam Hockey Club, one of the largest hockey clubs in Europe.
Nick Beasant, Assistant Director of Sport (Performance & Competitions), said “This is a superb accomplishment for Sarah; everyone in the High Performance team was delighted to see an Exeter alumna competing at her second Olympic Games following on from Beijing in 2008. The University of Exeter continually strives to help our student athletes develop so they can step into professional sport or perform on the international stage. Sarah has achieved this, and we are proud to have been part of helping her reach this goal”.
Sarah’s achievement comes at the end of an incredibly successful year for the University of Exeter Sport which has climbed the British University and Colleges (BUCS) rankings to seventh. The University will also be represented in Paralympics games, commencing August 29. Alumna Crystal Lane (Exercise and Sports Science, 2011) has been selected for the Great Britain cycling squad and current PhD student Robin Williams (Mathematics) will represent Team GB in the 5-a-side blind football squad.
Date: 4 September 2012
