dame laura kenny at the ucas event with members of university staff

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Dame Laura Kenny celebrates University’s Team GB partnership

Dame Laura Kenny, the most successful female Olympian in British history, provided prospective students with motivation and inspiration at the UCAS Discovery exhibition in London.

Students across the UK and beyond attended the UCAS exhibition in London – which hosted over 100 universities, colleges, and apprenticeship employers who were able to meet prospective students face-to-face.

Amongst the expert talks and career advice, Dame Laura – who counts five Olympic golds and one silver to her name - provided invaluable advice spanning her winning career, training for the Olympics, and the University of Hull’s partnership with Team GB. This is a six-year partnership which has covered the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, as well as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Laura said: “I think the partnership is an incredible opportunity for people at the beginning of their journey. But also, for Team GB as athletes, as the University does lots of research for us that helps us on maybe our next career path.

The University of Hull gives both us athletes and students opportunities for us to work together with Team GB. And for me, it’s opportunities that you probably won’t get elsewhere.

Dame Laura Kenny

“For students, it’s an opportunity for them to work alongside us – whether that be work experience or coming into Team GB workshops that are being put on.

“I feel like there are a lot of similarities between being an athlete and a student, in terms of having that commitment to a specific subject or sport, so it’s nice to have those connections and work together on different initiatives.”

Since the partnership was announced in January 2019, a varied range of opportunities has been provided to staff and students – including volunteering, work experience, motivational talks, sports-related benefits, and studying initiatives.

It’s also brought some of Team GB’s most accomplished and inspirational athletes to the University’s campus.

Team GB medal
dame laura kenny at the ucas event with members of university staff

The University of Hull’s Team GB Project Manager, Nicole Jensen, said: “It was great that Laura could join us at the London UCAS event. She had a great rapport with our prospective students - speaking with them about their hopes to attend university and sharing her Olympic stories to help inspire them to achieve their own dreams and ambitions for the future.”

About the partnership:

The University of Hull and Team GB is a six-year-long partnership, which will incorporate the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games and has included the Tokyo 2020 Games and the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

At the heart of the partnership is the ability to benefit from shared information, joint research and enterprise projects. It has also been born out of shared ambitions and beliefs, which are to benefit both parties throughout the collaboration.

Students at the University of Hull have been able to take part in unforgettable experiences that boost their CVs, such as work experience, volunteering, and assisting Team GB with relevant research and real-life business projects. Extensive research continues to be carried out across various disciplines (not just limited to sports) and our students and staff are playing key roles in helping Team GB achieve their short-term and longer-term strategic goals through innovations.

To find out more visit the Team GB pages on our website.

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