New This Week!

The Team Behind the Team - Kathryn Brown

The Performance Nutritionist at Sport Wales, Kathryn Brown, works closely with athletes across Wales to develop nutrition strategies to support training and help optimise performance in competitions.

With a BSc (Hons) in Sport and Exercise Science and an MSc in Sport and Exercise Nutrition from Loughborough University, Kathryn went on to complete a Performance Nutritionist internship with the English Institute of Sport and has previously worked with RFUW, GB Synchronised Swimming and GB Adaptive Rowing.

The HQ Performance Nutritionist for Team Wales at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Kathryn was responsible for ensuring that Wales’ medal winners and competitors were optimally prepared for competition, were able to adjust nutrition strategies to manage the hot conditions and help to reduce the risk of illness.

Kathryn says;

“It was essential that athletes made good food choices and implemented good hydration and recovery strategies. I was advising on the use of probiotics and prebiotics and ensuring they were hydrated and had an adequate intake of vitamins and minerals.”

The Performance Nutritionist for Sport Wales since 2008, Kathryn works with a number of sports, including athletics, cycling, swimming, boxing and weightlifting.

Kathryn says;

As the sports I work with have a range of nutritional needs my work is very variable on a day to day basis and can include individual athlete consultations, group education session, providing support at training camps and competitions and workshops such as supermarket tours or cooking sessions.

“Good performance nutrition strategies delivered as part of a complete sports science package can help Welsh athlete achieve medals on the world stage.

Five members of staff from the Sport Wales Institute are being followed by BBC Radio Wales to look at the work going on behind the scenes in the build up to London 2012.

Find out more about Kathryn Brown and the work she does with javelin thrower Lee Doran here; their interview is at roughly 2hr 50 into the programme.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b019h454/Good_Morning_Wales_18_01_2012/

The Team behind the Team – Kathryn Brown

The Team Behind the Team - Dr Mark Ridgewell

The Team Behind the Team – Dr Mark Ridgewell

Sport Wales’ consultant doctor, Dr Mark Ridgewell has been practicing since 1986 with a history in sports medicine that spans a varied combination of sports.

From athletics, swimming, cycling, disability sport, gymnastics and shooting, Dr Ridgewell provides medical support to some of Wales’ most high profile athletes including Jazz Carlin, Becky James, Nathan Stephens and David Davies.

Dr Ridgewell says;

“I assess and advice athletes on a whole range of injuries and illness that could potentially effect or impair their ability to train and perform. I advise on treatment and rehabilitation, give anti-doping advice and general support.”

After developing an interest in Sports Medicine almost immediately after qualifying as a doctor in 1986, Mark soon went on to complete a Masters degree in Sport and Exercise Medicine at the University of Bath and also passed the Scottish Royal Colleges Diploma in 1999. He has been working with elite and high performance ever-since.

His CV includes roles at Swansea Rugby Club and Wales U18 and U21 rugby teams, Chief Medical Officer roles for the England Cricket Board, the Osprey’s and the Football Association of Wales and Dr Ridgewell has also travelled to two Commonwealth Games as Team Doctor for Team Wales.

One of the athletes Dr Ridgewell works with on a regular basis is Commonwealth bronze medal-winning swimmer Georgia Davies. She says;

“Everyone who competes at a high level wants to make sure they do everything they possibly can to become better. In swimming it can come down to 100ths and 10ths of a second so if anyone can do anything to improve my performance then I’m definitely open to taking that on board.

“We’re really lucky to have Mark as our doctor. We work on preventative things as swimming is a non-contact sport, so it’s more about getting ill rather than injured, especially as we’re training at such a high level and for so long each day. We take vitamins and supplements and he’s great at recommending everything. And also we have blood tests to make sure our iron levels are right, so it’s great to have someone who understands about sport and obviously about medicine and can combine the two.”

Five members of staff from the Sport Wales Institute are being followed by BBC Radio Wales to look at the work going on behind the scenes in the build up to London 2012.

Find out more about Mark Ridgewell and the work he does with Georgia Davies and other athletes here; their interview is at 2hr 50 into the programme.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b019h44f/Good_Morning_Wales_17_01_2012/

The Team Behind the Team - Joe Hewitt

The Team Behind the Team - Joe Hewitt

Joe Hewitt holds BSc and MSc in Sport Science and is a highly qualified Strength and Conditioning coach, working full time with Wales’ elite athletes at Sport Wales in Cardiff.  

A former rower for Wales, Joe began his career in sport as a Sport Science Officer for Welsh Rowing which involved writing training and weights programmes for the rowers. After shadowing some of the strength and conditioning staff at Sport Wales his talent was soon spotted and he soon became a full time employee, working with some of Wales’ Paralympic athletes ahead of Beijing 2008.

Joe said;

“My role is to physically prepare athletes to meet the demands of their sports, so that when competition arrives they are in the best possible shape.

“Most of the work I do involves attending training sessions to discuss any issues, holding one to one sessions to coach and observe athletes, working at training camps and workshops.”

“I predominantly work with sports where strength and power are vital components of a successful performance, for example, athletics, boxing, cycling and gymnastics. A big part of my role is to enhance these physical qualities to ensure that athletes can compete at the highest level.

“In other sports, such as shooting, golf and endurance events, structural strength and movement efficiency are more important, so it’s all about understanding the sport and therefore knowing what each athlete requires for success.”

Although Joe mainly works with athletes from the worlds of boxing, cycling, gymnastics and from Disability Sport Wales, he inputs into each sport utilising the facilities at the Sport Wales National Centre, to not only aid his learning but also to provide athletes with the best possible service.

Joe works closely with some of Wales’ sporting household names, such as Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Sean Mcgoldrick, World Champion javelin star, Nathan Stephens and 11-time gold medal-winning swimmer David Roberts.

Sean Mcgoldrick said;

“Strength and Conditioning has become a major part of my training schedule over the last year. It’s used in all the World Class Programmes throughout the world, not just Great Britain and Wales.

“There are certain elements that Joe always concentrates on, like power strength. If I’ve got a fight coming up, we’ll do more work on circuit-based exercise, like strong man exercises. There’s a lot of science behind it but I just listen to what Joe tells me!”

Five members of staff from the Sport Wales Institute are being followed by BBC Radio Wales to look at the work going on behind the scenes in the build up to London 2012.

Find out more about Joe Hewitt and the work he does with Sean Mcgoldrick and other athletes here; their interview is at 2hr 45 into the programme:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b019h43q/Good_Morning_Wales_16_01_2012/

200 Days to London 2012: Jade ‘Head Hunter’ Jones hunts for gold

Today marks the 200 days to go mark until the London 2012 Olympics come alive and our top Welsh athletes don their GB kit to take on the best in the world. Excited? We are!

One of Wales’ brightest prospects is 18-year-old taekwondo star, Jade Jones, from Flint in North Wales. The -57kg fighter, who won gold at the 2010 Youth Olympics and a World Championship silver in 2011, only stepped up to senior level last year but is already hotly tipped for medal success on home soil.

After seeing her weight category chosen for the London Games, Jones admits that the prospect of competing on home territory - and landing GB Taekwondo’s first Olympic gold medal - is spurring her on. Sport Wales caught up with Jade for a chat.

Sport Wales: Hi Jade. The London Olympics are really close now, are you excited?

Jade Jones: I’m really excited about being involved in a home Games. It’s a one in a lifetime chance, I’m not going to get this again. For it to be in London is amazing, and for my first Olympics as well.  I know everybody wants to be a part of it, so I’m very lucky.

Sport Wales: What’s your ultimate goal for London?

Jade Jones: My aim is definitely nothing less than gold. I know it’s going to be so hard because there’s already 12 people qualified for the Olympics, and every person’s hard, so every single fight is going to be like my life depends on it. It’s my first Olympics, and I’m only 18, so I’m just going to give it everything I can and see what happens.

Sport Wales: How are your preparations going?

Jade Jones: It’s been going great so far, I’ve had a really good year. Every competition I’ve been to I’ve medalled. Even if it’s not gold every time I’m still up there. So hopefully it’s the same this year and I just keep training and trying to make every little thing better and then see how it goes at the London 2012 Olympics.

Sport Wales: You’ve had an epic year, what’s been the highlight?

Jade Jones: It’s got to be the world championships. There was a lot of pressure going into it. There were three girls who were up for an Olympic place, so it was just basically whoever did the best. Then I managed to come away with a silver - just losing by one point. So I was gutted because I was so close to being World Champion but after it I was pleased because it got my weight selected for the Olympics. 

Sport Wales: What’s your typical day of training like?

Jade Jones: “I train for about six hours a day. In the morning about nine until 12pm and then again at 3.30pm. It’s just different types of training. Sometimes it’s general; so it’s all running and conditioning work, but then when we get closer to a competition it’s all about kicking, sparring and learning techniques. We do weights and plyos (plyometrics: a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements) there are loads of different things.

Sport Wales: You get to train with top coaches and athletes like Sarah Stevenson (2011 World Champion and 2008 Olympic bronze medallist), what’s that like?

Jade Jones: “It’s great because when I was younger I always looked up to Sarah. So every day being her training partner was a bit weird at first. It’s inspirational. I want to be as good as her or better!

Sport Wales: What’s it like when you come home to Flint?

Jade Jones: “It’s always nice to come home. People are always dead friendly and wishing me good luck. It just makes you realise that there’s a lot of people following you and it makes you want to do well even more.

Sport Wales: What’s it like being a role model to young girls and are there enough female role models in sport?

Jade Jones: “It’s nice to be a role model to young girls. To know that they want to be like me. It makes me want to do even better and make everybody proud. When I come home and see how proud Flint is and how much they’re rooting for me to do well it’s nice. I definitely think there are enough female role models at the moment. There’s loads of world champions, so there’s a lot of talent out there.

Sport Wales: Finally what words of advice would you give to any young people interested in taking part in taekwondo or any other sport?

Jade Jones:  “Get into sport; whether it’s taekwondo or any sport, because it’s really good and keeps you fit and healthy. It’s something you can enjoy, so get into sport.”

Watch our exclusive interview with Jade in full

12 interesting facts about 2012!

With all eyes now well and truly on London for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, how much do you actually know about the Games? Check out these facts to get you started:

1. The Olympic motto is ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’ or ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’ – so now you know where those Daft Punk and Kanye West lyrics were inspired from!
2. The Olympic Torch is made up of an inner and an outer aluminium alloy skin and is perforated by 8,000 circles that represent the inspirational stories of the 8,000 Torchbearers who will carry the Olympic Flame.
   Among those chosen in Wales is Elin Haf Davies, 35, from Gwynedd after becoming the first Welsh woman to row the Atlantic and later being part of the first all-female crew to row the Indian Ocean, raising more than £250,000 for charity.
3. The Youth Sport Trust Young Ambassadors programme, delivered in partnership with adidas and LOCOG, as well as Sport Wales and local authorities in Wales, is a movement of inspirational young people who are using the power of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to encourage other young people to take up sport and physical activity. There are Young Ambassadors based in all 22 local authorities in Wales. Find out more about the inspirational projects they’ve been working on here.
4. The Get Set network is a special community of schools and colleges, across Wales and the UK, which are demonstrating a commitment to the Olympic Values (friendship, excellence and respect) and the Paralympic Values (inspiration, determination, courage and equality) as well as using the London 2012 Games to inspire learners of all ages to get involved in projects and activities. Find out more here.
5. In total to date, it is anticipated that Pre-Games training camps will involve over 850 athletes and support staff who will train in Wales and the Welsh Government has secured exciting memorandums of understanding from:
   • Multi-sport Paralympic teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and seven Oceanic countries have decided to carry out their immediate pre Games training in Wales. Australia and South Africa will base its team in Cardiff and Newport whilst New Zealand will be based in Swansea.
   • Up to 15 riders and support staff from the US Paralympic Track Cycling team will also be based at the Newport velodrome leading into the Paralympic Games.
   • The highly successful British Olympic and Paralympic Cycling teams will also be based at the velodrome.
   • The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee has committed to basing its team in Cardiff, along with the Amateur International Boxing Association ‘Road to London’ training camp.
   • The Irish Triathlon team will be based at the world-class facilities at Swansea University and the surrounding Gower Peninsular.
   • We’ll also be welcoming Athletics New Zealand.
6. It might surprise you to hear that Welsh athletes have won 18 gold medals at the Olympic Games, since the 1908 London Games. Multiple medal winners bringing home the lion’s share of those medals include: Paulo Radmilovic, who picked up four Golds (mainly in Water Polo but also in the 4 x 200 swimming relay), Richard Meade with three equestrian golds and Hugh Edwards with two rowing golds. Wales’s last athletics gold medal came from Lynn ‘The Leap’ Davies at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and our most recent Golden Olympians were Nicole Cooke (Road Race, cycling), Tom James (Coxless Four, rowing) and Geraint Thomas (Team Pursuit, cycling) at the 2008 Beijing Games.
7. There are 503 gold medals available, for the 4,200 athletes from 170 National Paralympic Committees, expected to compete at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
8. Welsh athletes were responsible for a quarter of the gold medals won by Team GB at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008.
9. The Olympic Park is the size of 357 football pitches. Within it the Olympic Stadium will have an 80,000 seat capacity, reducing to 25,000 after the Games, and is 53m in height - three metres taller than Nelson’s Column.
10. The dining room in the Olympic Village will be the size of three football fields and seat 5,000. It will serve an estimated 100 tonnes of meat alone.
11. If all London 2012 sports events were held on consecutive days, instead of simultaneously, there would be 318 competition days for Olympic Games events and another 133 days for the Paralympic Games.
12. Around 900,000 items of sports equipment will be needed for the Olympic Games including:

• 2,700 footballs
• 2,200 dozen Tennis balls
• 8 trampolines
• 3 metal detectors (Beach Volleyball)
• 92 ball pumps (Water Polo, Basketball, Handball, Football)

A grand total of 108,207 additional items will be purchased for the Paralympic Games. This includes:

• 65,000 towels
• 40 Powerlifting benches
• 65 tape measures for Boccia
• 310 basketballs for Wheelchair Basketball
• 52 Goalball balls
• 6 custom-built goals for Goalball
• 60 Wheelchair Rugby balls

20 Reasons to get excited about 2012!

After years of talking about it 2012 has finally rolled round and the London Olympic and Paralympic Games are within sight.

We’re getting very excited about seeing our Welsh athletes perform, on home soil, in the biggest sporting event on the planet! So we thought we’d share the excitement and highlight some of the things we’re looking forward to most.

Let us know what you’re looking forward to most about London 2012 – for example your favourite athlete (hopefully!) winning gold - by tweeting us your highlights, using our hash tag #alliwant2012.

1. Getting closer now; with just a 200-day dash for the start line on 9 January for the Olympic Games and 11 February for the Paralympic Games. Look out for events happening right across Wales to mark this latest milestone.

2. It’s the home straight! In just a few short months Welsh athletes will join up with Team GB to take part in the biggest sporting event to hit our shores since we last hosted the Games in 1948. Look out for 18 April and 21 May as we mark 100 days until the Olympic and Paralympic Games respectively.

Geraint Thomas and Young Ambassador
Ainsley Richards with the Olympic Torch

3. The Olympic flame will pass through more than 1,000 cities on a 70-day tour across the UK, travelling within 10 miles of 95% of the population. Welcoming the Olympic Flame evening events take place in Cardiff (Friday 25 May), Swansea (Saturday 26 May), Aberystwyth (Sunday 27 May) and Bangor (Monday 28 May). But the flame will also be passing through many other Welsh towns and villages en route. Visit www.london2012.com/olympic-torch-relay to see the full route.

4. The London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay will take place from 24–29 August 2012, after the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games. It visits Cardiff, during its tour of home capitals, before reaching London for the opening ceremony.

5. The Millennium Stadium has the honour of hosting the very first event of the Olympic Games, with women's Football matches starting on 25 July. It will also host the men's bronze medal match.

6. The Opening Ceremonies will focus the eyes of the world on London on 27 July 2012 for the start of the 2012 Olympic Games and again on 29 August for the fourteenth Paralympic Games.

7. Nicole Cooke, the first woman cyclist to hold the Olympic and World Road Race titles in the same year, should saddle up to sprint down the Mall for the Women’s Road Race on 29 July.

Swimmer Jazz Carlin

8. Jazz Carlin, silver and bronze medallist at the Delhi Commonwealth Games, could make a big splash at the Aquatics Centre with possible finals appearances in the Women’s 400m Freestyle on 29 July, the 200m Freestyle on 30 July and 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay on 1 August.

9. Jemma Lowe, the British record holder and 2010 World Short Course silver medallist swimmer, will hopefully line up for finals of the Women’s 100m Butterfly on 29 July, the 200m Butterfly on 1 August, and the 4 x 100m Medley Relay on 4 August. Both swimmers will be aiming for GB berths in the March trials in London.

10. Wrexham’s 2011 World Rowing Championships bronze medallists Chris Bartley and Victoria Thornley hope to take to the water to race in the finals of the Men’s Lightweight Fours and the Women’s Eights on 2 August.

Geraint Thomas, Nicole Cooke
and Tom James

11. Geraint Thomas, another Olympic and World Champion cyclist of the same year, hopes to put the pedal to the medal in the Men’s Team Pursuit final at the Olympic Park Velodrome on 3 August.

12. Tom James, Coedpoeth’s Beijing gold medallist and 2011 World Rowing Champion, will hopefully stroke for gold again in the final of the Men’s Four, at Eton Dorney, Buckinghamshire on 4 August.

13. Helen Jenkins, Double Triathlon World Champion, will aim to add Olympic gold to her impressive medal haul at Hyde Park on 4 August.

14. Dai Greene, the unstoppable medal machine who currently holds the European, Commonwealth and World titles, will stride out in pursuit of the final jigsaw piece in the 400m Hurdles at the Olympic Stadium on 6 August.

Taekwondo star Jade Jones

15. Jade Jones, the Youth Olympic Games champion and 2011 World silver medallist, will hope to land a few of her favourite head kicks on her way to fulfil her dream of winning GB Taekwondo’s first ever Olympic gold medal at the ExCel Centre on 9 August.

16. Hannah Mills, a silver medallist at the 2011 Sailing World Championships, hopes to make waves in the 470 Class with Saskia Clark at Weymouth and Portland on 10 August.

17. Boxers Fred Evans (welterweight) and Andrew Selby (flyweight) will hope to box their way to some silverware (or goldware!) at ExCel on 12 August.

18. Steve Thomas, silver medallist at the 2011 IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championships, will hope to go one better and clinch gold in the Sonar class at Weymouth and Portland on 6 September.

19. Nathan Stephens, the current F57 Javelin World Champion and world record holder, will hope to land Paralympic Gold at the Olympic Stadium on 8 September.

20. Closing ceremonies, on 12 August for the Olympics and 9 September for the Paralympics, both of which involve the march of the athletes – without any grouping of nationality – the hoisting of the national flag of the next hosting nation (Brazil) and the symbolic extinguishing of the respective Flames.