UEL at the 2022 Commonwealth Games
University students and alumni competing in Birmingham
Published
28 July 2022
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The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham are nearly here, with the University of East London (UEL) represented by current high performance sport scholar Emily Martin, alumni Adam Gemili and Jona Efoloko, plus East London Phoenix star Amy Conroy.
UEL's roll of honour encompasses a diverse range of sports and sports people at the Commonwealth Games over the years.
The last time the United Kingdom hosted the Commonwealth Games was Glasgow 2014, with UEL well represented across the competition. From para powerlifter Ali Jawad (BSc in Sports and Exercise Science) winning bronze in the men's 72kg competition, with a world record lift at 59kg, to swimmer Aimee Willmott (BSc in Sports and Exercise Science) earning a silver medal in the women's 400m individual medley.
Elsewhere, Nigerian sprinter Ade Ogunlewe (LLM International Business Law) ran in the men's 200m, whilst Team England's Bianca Williams (BSc in Sports and Exercise Science) made UEL proud by winning bronze medals in the women's 200m and 4x100m replay event.
Judo was another success story for UEL high performance scholars in Glasgow. Gemma Gibbons (MSc in Exercise Science and Health) followed up on her silver medal at the London 2012 Games with silver at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Meanwhile, Andrew Burns (MSc in Strength and Conditioning) won bronze in the under 90kg weight class.
High hopes after a successful season
UEL is one of the fastest growing universities for sport in the UK, with over 140 high performance sport scholars. There will be high hopes for UEL athletes after excellent performances in the 2021/22 British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) season, including top ten finishes in athletics, basketball, judo, wheelchair basketball and volleyball.
Here are some of the UEL students, alumni and players looking to make their mark on the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Emily Martin – 10m platform diver
As a high performance sport scholar, Emily Martin, 21, combines international competition with studying at UEL.
Emily started diving at six years old after being introduced to the sport at a taster session at her local pool. With love for the water and initially taking part 'just for fun', she will compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games after her call-up to the Team England squad.
Emily made a splash when she won gold in the women's synchronized diving 10m platform at the European Junior Championships 2019. Then came a silver medal in the women's synchronized diving 10m platform at the European Championships 2019 and another gold in the women's synchronized diving 10m platform at the Fina Diving Grand Prix in Mission Viejo 2019.
Diving will take place at the £73m Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Birmingham from 4-8 August 2022.
Adam Gemili – 100m & 200m
Adam Gemili, 28, studied Sport & Exercise Science with Human Biology at UEL. Graduating in 2015, he wrote a dissertation on the effects of specific warm-up exercises on sprint performance.
The 2014 Commonwealth Games were where Adam won his first senior medals, earning silver medals in the men's 100m and 4×100m relay in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Coincidentally, his personal best time in the 100m of 9:97 was set in Birmingham.
This time out, Adam's individual focus will be on the 200m, and he is also expected to run in the 4x100m relay.
The men's 200m are from the 4-6 August 2022, at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham.
Jona Efoloko – 100m
Jona Efoloko, 22, studied marketing at UEL. The sprinter graduated in 2021, and in addition to collecting his degree that year, Jona get selected for the Team GB squad for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Jona burst onto the scene, winning the 200m event at the European Youth Championship in 2016. He followed this up with the gold at the 2018 IAAF World Junior Championships in Tampere, setting a personal best of 20.45 in the same year.
Jona will be part of Team England's men's 4x100m squad at the Commonwealth Games alongside Adam Gemili. The team recently won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.
Qualifying races for the 4x100m relay are on 5 August 2022, with the final set for 7 August 2022.
Amy Conroy
Wheelchair basketball will make its debut at the Commonwealth Games in the 3x3 format of the sport.
Amy Conroy, 29, receiving her call-up to Team England's women's wheelchair basketball team caps off an incredible season where she helped the East London Phoenix (UEL's first ever sports franchise) finish second in the inaugural season of the British Wheelchair Basketball Women's Premier League. Amy had a fantastic season finishing as the Phoenix's top scorer.
Amy is no stranger to international competition, having competed at three Paralympics and several European and World Championships. She's excited to see wheelchair basketball featuring at the Commonwealth Games for the first time.
England's first group stage match is against Kenya on 29 July 2022. Should Amy and her Team England teammates make it all the way, the gold medal match takes place on 2 August 2022.
Other UEL stars in Birmingham
Amy's East London Phoenix teammate Freya Levy is a batonbearer for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in recognition of representing Great Britain and England in wheelchair basketball, para ice hockey and wheelchair rugby league and wheelchair rugby sevens.
The talented para-athlete is also an advocate for diversity, the LGBTQ+ community and women's rights in the workplace.
UEL senior lecturer in the School of Health, Sport and Bioscience, Elizabeth Nicholls, was seconded for 12 months as the medical services cluster manager for the Commonwealth Games. Elizabeth is no stranger to working at high-profile sporting events, having also taken on similar roles at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and Baku 2015 European Games.
Two of Ms Nicholls' School colleagues will also be in Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games including associate clinical lecturer, Leanne Simmons, who will be working as a physiotherapist, and senior lecturer Michael Cole, who will be embedded in the Sports Medical Services team at the Sandwell Aquatics venue and is mostly supporting smaller nations who do not have the funding to bring their own physical therapists to the UK.
The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham runs from 28 July to 8 August.
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