Sport news Brunel physiologist to aid astronauts Dr James Pearson, a recent graduate from Brunel’s Centre for Sports Medicine and Human Performance (CSMHP), has been awarded a post-doctoral research fellowship at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, supervised by worldleading exercise physiologist Professor Craig Crandall. Dr Pearson’s thesis was on the influence of body temperature and dehydration on blood flow in resting and exercising humans. He will now study the blood flow responses of astronauts before, during and after space flight. It is hoped that
his research will aid the preparation and recuperation of astronauts involved in extraterrestrial missions. Dr Pearson commented: “Studying at Brunel has certainly broadened my horizons and I have learnt a great deal from my interactions with Professor GonzálezAlonso”.
Brunel trio win Commonwealth gold Graduates Montell Douglas (Sport Sciences 2008), Laura Turner (Sport Sciences 2006) and Abi Oyepitan (Politics and Sociology 2001), along with fellow sprinter Katherine Endacott, won the women’s 4x100m relay with a finish time of 44.19s, over one second ahead of silver medallists Ghana, at the Delhi Commonwealth Games in October. “This has been an amazing championships,” said Oypeitan, who also won a silver medal
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in the 200m. “I really wanted to come out and win this one so I’m so happy for all of the girls. These Games have been incredible and going home with two medals is amazing.” The trio were not the only Brunel graduates to win medals in the relays. Sport Sciences graduate Nick Leavey ran the second leg of the men’s 4x400m to claim a bronze medal, finishing behind Australia and Kenya.
Graduate Kate Walsh captained the England hockey team, who narrowly lost out to Australia in the semi-final but beat South Africa 1-0 to win the bronze medal. The result means that England have never missed out on a podium place at the Games since hockey’s inaugural year in 1998. Commonwealth winning team: from l-r: Abi Oyepitan, Katherine Endacott, Montell Douglas, Laura Turner