Bradford College sport students tour national training base

Sports-mad students from Bradford College enjoyed a trip to the training base of some of the nation’s top athletes.

Forty students toured the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, which is the country’s largest multi-sports training centre and is used by current and future Olympians, Paralympians and professional sport stars.

Among the Olympic hopefuls who are regulars at the South Yorkshire facility are two current Bradford College students, boxers Jade Ashmore and Mohammed Harris Akbar.

Their fellow students got a glimpse of the boxing gym where the pair hone their skills as part of GB Boxing’s Podium Potential Squad, which has identified them as contenders for the 2020 games in Tokyo.

The base was also used by current heavyweight champion of the world Anthony Joshua in the lead up to last month’s title fight with Wladimir Klitschko. And although the Bradford students didn’t catch a glimpse of the boxing ace himself, they did meet his coach Rob McCracken.

They also heard from former super-middleweight world champion and 1988 Olympic bronze medallist turned TV pundit, Richie Woodhall.

Gary Bradwell, sport lecturer at Bradford College, said: “The visit involved a tour of the whole of the magnificent facility where learners were able to witness first hand current and future Olympians, Paralympians and professional athletes carrying out their training routines.

“As well as the boxing gym, the venue tour took in the volleyball arena and the indoor athletics track and field area which hosted the Indoor British Athletics Championships last year. The learners were able to watch some elite female hurdlers carrying out some intense drills.

“On the indoor futsal courts, a mini-tournament was being held with the youth teams of premiership team Middlesbrough, and local teams including Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United which further impressed our students.”

The trip was funded through the Active Colleges initiative being run by Sport England.