Olympic athlete turned LJMU student Hannah Clowes’ career as a Great Britain international gymnast spanned 13 years. She was a member of the City of Liverpool Gymnastics Club, member of the travelling team to the Beijing Olympics 2008, a Commonwealth Silver medallist and member of the GB squad for multiple European championships, a World Championships and European Youth Olympics. Hannah retired from gymnastics in 2009 and came to study the BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science at LJMU. She then progressed onto the MSc Sport Psychology and is currently doing a PhD in ‘Research into the Relationship between Athlete Wellbeing and Elite Sport Performance’.
Expertise in Paralympic sport
Hannah coaches gymnasts working towards the elite pathway at the City of Liverpool Gymnastics Club. Whilst studying at LJMU, she has undertaken a nutrition placement with a handball team in Liverpool and has personally developed and delivered a sport psychology placement consisting of educational workshops and interactive sessions with gymnasts at the club.
Graduate success in Rio Michael Rimmer, former sports scholar at LJMU, was also in Rio for the 800m track race. The Southport-born Liverpool Pembroke Sefton athlete was a silver medallist in the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona and this time around in Rio he completed in 1 minute 46.80 seconds in the 800m semi-final. LJMU graduate and Liverpool sprinter Anyika Onoura also picked up bronze in the 4 x 400m relay. The Liverpool Harrier said she was ‘blessed’ to be part of a team including Eilidh Doyle, Christine Ohuruogu and Emily Diamond on the track for the penultimate race at Rio’s Olympic Stadium and coming third place in three minutes 25.99 seconds. It was Great Britain’s first 4x400m relay medal at an Olympics since Barcelona in 1992 and saw Team GB officially surpass their London 2012 haul.
LJMU is rich in sporting expertise and our world-leading sports scientists were called upon to provide crucial support to Paralympic competitors for Rio. Dr Zoe Knowles, who teaches on the Applied Sport Psychology programme in the School of Sport and Exercise Science, has spent 20 years at LJMU undertaking research and teaching sport psychologists of the future how effective psychological skills can help elite athletes be Games ready. Following a request by the British Paralympic Association, Zoe worked as a sport psychologist with London and Rio wheelchair tennis Paralympian Jamie Burdekin. For the Rio Olympics cycle this involved working with his personal coach and advising Paralympics GB coaches during the approach to the Games. During the Games, Zoe worked as part of the support team available to Jamie remotely via Skype. Prior to working with Jamie, Zoe supported GB Archery for the Sydney and Athens Olympiad.
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