University of Bath Celebrates Homecoming for Paris 2024 Olympians and Paralympians
Bath's athletes brought home 17 medals between them
The University of Bath says it's "immensely proud" of its athletes who competed at this summer's Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.
The university has hosted a special homecoming reception to celebrate their remarkable achievements.
There were an astonishing 30 athletes across 12 different sports and representing seven countries who competed in Paris, that either train, study or studied at the university. They brought home an incredible 17 medals between them.
Renowned as one of the country’s leading institutions for high-performance sport, the university hosted numerous athletes, including five Paris 2024 medallists: double Paralympic Champion Dimitri Coutya (wheelchair fencing), Olympic gold medallist Kieran Bird (swimming), Becky Wilde (rowing), Dan Bethell (para-badminton), and Piers Gilliver (wheelchair fencing).
The podium achievers were joined by coaches, staff, and civic representatives from Bath and Somerset.
The event was hosted by Professor Phil Taylor, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bath, who said, “We are immensely proud of the athletes’ achievements in Paris this summer and delighted we can celebrate that today.
“We were honoured earlier this year to be awarded the status of UK Sport-accredited Elite Training Centre, celebrating the University’s role in helping Team GB and Paralympics GB athletes achieve their full performance potential.”
Becky Wilde, who won a bronze medal in the women’s double sculls at Paris 2024 in rowing, shared the challenging period in her rowing career. Wilde, who made the switch from swimming to rowing while studying sport and social sciences, had faced a difficult recovery from injury.
“There was a period in my second year of rowing when I didn’t know if I’d ever get back in a boat again, but the University backed me throughout,” said Wilde, who was supported by a Santander Scholarship.
“It is thanks to my physio Heather Foster, my coach Dan Harris (with the GB Rowing Team Start Programme) and having access to the amazing facilities here that I was able to continue my rowing career.”
Category B epee and foil champion Coutya, who won four medals in total in Paris, spoke on behalf of the Paralympic athletes. He has trained full-time at the University since 2016 and was the second athlete, after Gilliver, to join a wheelchair fencing programme, led by the UK Sports Institute, that has gone from strength to strength during the past decade.
“I remember being in the Paralympic Village in Paris and taking a moment to reflect on how fortunate I was to be part of the University of Bath and how their support had helped me reach this unique environment,” he said.
Also attending the reception were Ted Allen, Vice-Lieutenant of Somerset; Cllr Karen Walker, Chair of Bath and North East Somerset Council; Cllr Ruth Malloy, Deputy Mayor of Bath; and Kevin Guy, Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council.