Dina Asher-Smith

On 24 May 2015 Dina broke Montell Douglas’s British 100m record with a time of 11.02 seconds. On 25 July 2015 she became the first ever British woman to run the 100m in under 11 seconds. On 28 August 2015 she set a new British record of 22.07 seconds in the 200m, finishing fifth at the World Athletics Championship in Beijing. Dina was part of the Team GB 4x100m relay team at the Rio Olympics winning the bronze medal. Dina will be heading to the World Athletics Championships in London, running the 200m.

Martyn Bernard

Martyn is a GB High Jumper whose biggest successes to date are winning a silver medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games and a bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships in 2007.

Martyn said, “Over the past 12 months the journey has not been exactly as planned, there has been some unexpected bumps in the road, but throughout, the help and support from the GLL Sport Foundation has been tremendously valuable and much appreciated.”

Christopher Boyadji

Christopher is competed in ice figure skating with fellow GLL Sport Foundation Ambassador Zoe Jones. Christopher moved to Swindon to partner with Zoe and continue his passion for skating. Christopher competed in the World Championships a few years ago, placing in the Top 20. With Zoe, the pair are the National Champions and aim to compete at the Winter Olympics in 2018. Christopher and Zoe both train at the Better Link Centre and are also ice skating coaches for GLL.

Daniel Bramble 

Daniel had a breakthrough in 2015 moving up to 5th place on the UK all time list. He competed at the World Championships last year in Beijing which gave him invaluable experience on how to perform on a World Stage in a championship environment. Daniel narrowly missed out on selection for the Rio Olympics and the London World Championships, but is determined to bounce back and make an impact at the next major championship.

Daniel said, “I feel that with the help of GLL I will be able to support myself and facilitate what is necessary for me to reach the pinnacle of mine and many other sports.”

Mercy Brown

Mercy is a young weightlifter and holds six British records. Mercy won two bronze medals at the senior European Championships last year. Unfortunately the funding for weightlifting has been cut, but Mercy is working towards gaining a qualifying place at the Commonwealth Games next year on the Gold Coast.

Mercy said, “GLL has been a funding source that has been helping me from the very start of my lifting career and has been helpful in achieving many of my goals. I would love to continue to work with GLL in further improving myself and the group who has offered their continual support. I am truly grateful and look forward to continually working with GLL.”

Cherrelle Brown

Cherrelle is the three time national Elite Amateur Boxing ABA champion. Since the GLL Sport Foundation supported Cherrelle her boxing has gone from strength to strength, winning in 2015, 2016 and now 2017. Cherrelle has now decided to turn professional as her weight category isn’t yet included in the Olympics.

“Without the funding from GLL I would not have been able to buy the necessary equipment and go to England Boxing training camps in Sheffield. As a GSF ambassador I’ve also been able to attend athlete events and was able to inspire young athletes with my story which was both motivating and humbling for me.”

Seren Bundy-Davies

Seren Bundy-Davies is a Welsh athlete competing in the 400m based in Manchester. She came to international prominence at the 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships, winning bronze in the 400m and silver in the 4x400melay. She won a Bronze medal in the 4x400m relay at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics. In 2016 Seren was part of the gold medal winning 4x400m relay team at the European Championships.

Matthew Carlisle 

Matthew is the first skateboarder supported by the GLL Sport Foundation. Matthew’s number one priority is to have fun and enjoy my skating and he happens to be very talented too!

“I would like to have a shot at Olympic qualification for ‘Skate Park’ in 2020. This award will help me to compete more and gain more experience at an elite level and further establish my rankings.”

Claire Cashmore

Claire Cashmore is a GLL Sport Foundation ambassador based in Manchester, and does much of her training in the Manchester Aquatics Centre which is run by GLL. Claire won a gold medal in the relay and a silver in the 100m breastroke at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Claire also won two silvers and a bronze at London 2012.

Joseph Choong

Joe qualified for the Olympics by coming 7th at the European Championships last year, and was the only British athlete to secured eligibility in this way. Joe came 10th at the Olympics but has much more to come and is aiming for Tokyo 2020. He was ranked among the medals before an under par performance in the shooting which brought his overall score down.

Joe took a year out of University in 2016 to concentrate on the lead up to Rio, but is now back studying Maths at the University of Bath. Joe attended the Cardiff Awards Event this year and inspired the young up and coming athletes with his Olympic story.

Katie Clark

Katie has been synchronised swimming from a young age, and won the Junior Trials in 2008 at the age of 14. In addition, she placed 9th in the Free Team final at the 2011 World Championships. Katie competed in the Olympic Games and hopes to continue inspiring other young swimmers to follow their dreams.

“Due to being an individually unfunded athlete, GLL really helped me on my journey on the Road to Rio. I was able to use my local facilities to train, and have been able to have access to sports massages and physio for recovery which has been a great help.”

Edward Corrie

Edward reached career high ATP rankings of #215 in singles and #144 in doubles and has competed in the doubles at Wimbledon twice. Edward is the first tennis ambassador for the GLL Sport Foundation.

Tom Daley

Tom burst on to the scene in 2009 when he was crowned the World Champion at the age of 15. Since, he has won two gold medals for England at the 20120 Commonwealth games, and a bronze at London 2012, which is where his popularity grew. Tom medalled at the Euopean Championships in 2016 and gained a bronze medal in the 10m synchro at Rio 2016. Tom’s latest achievement was in July when he won the gold medal in the 10m platform event at the FINA World Championships held in Budapest.

Paul Davies

Paul is a Welsh Paralympic table tennis player. Davies, who has played table tennis competitively since 1991, was selected for the 2012 Paralympic Games, and took the bronze medal in the men’s individual class 1 event. Paul’s latest achievement was in June 2017 where Rob Davies, Tom Matthews and Paul Davies beat world champions Italy to win gold in the men’s class 1 team event at the German Open.

James-Andrew Davis

James-Andrew Davis started fencing aged four and became Britain’s first ever fencing European Champion in 2014. His breakthrough season came in 2011 and his performances merited him a host nation place on the British team that competed at the London 2012 Olympics. James-Andrew competed at the Olympics in Rio but unfortunately didn’t come away with a medal. He aspires to competed in the next Olympics in Tokyo, and now that funding for fencing has been cut the support from the GLL Sport Foundation will be even more important.

Montell Douglas 

Montell is a former British record holder for the 100m. Motell represented Great Britain at the 2008 Olympics, and was part of the 4x1000m relay team at the 2007 World Championships that finished 4th. Montell is 30, so coming to the end of her career but hopes to go to one more Olympic Games. Montell has now turned to Bobsleigh and is settling into the new sport very well.

Montell said, “As a senior athlete with recent injury battles and with no current assistance, GLL greatly helps with accessing training venues as well as the fantastic support provided with sport performance workshops and services.”

Tom Farrell

Tom is a long distance runnier specialising in 5000m. He first represented Great Britain in 2013 at the European U23 Championships and came 2nd. Since transitioning onto the senior circuit, Tom has reached finals at European and World Championships. Tom was selected for his first Olympics in Rio and finished a respectable 14th place.

Tom said, “The support from GLL will help me achieve the goal of being picked to represent Great Britain at the Olympics with most of the funding going towards medical and travel.” We are delighted that Tom achieved this goal.

Gemma Gibbons

Gemma started Judo at the age of 6 and has never looked back. Studying at the University of Bath, Gemma won bronze at the World University Games in 2009. More significantly, Gemma came away with a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics, despite being ranked 42nd in the world at the time.

Gemma said, “My goal is to become Olympic Champion. The support will be used to self fund tournaments on the world tour in order to win points and qualify for the Olympics.”

Chris Gregory

Chris has competed in multiple World and European Championships all over the world representing Great Britain. He is partnered with fellow GLL Sport Foundation ambassador Jake Sheaf and they aim to one day make it to the Olympics.

Chris said, “Support from the GLLSF will allow myself and my team to further our professional development and compete at the highest level in our bid to qualify for future Olympic Games. It will allow us to reach competition venues and training camps with other high level opposition.”

Louise Hunt

Louise has been supported by the GLL Sport Foundation for several years, but this is Louise’s first year as an ambassador. Louise competed at the Paralympics last year and although she didn’t medal, she took a lot away from the experience and is now aiming for Tokyo 2020. Louise has also competed in Wimbledon and reached the semi finals last year in the doubles, and the quarter finals in the singles.

Louise said, “This award will help to continue to support my training programme in order to help me reach my goals and become the best athlete I can be.”

Joseph Ikhinmwin

Joseph is captain of the London Lions Basketball Team and has just signed for his fifth consecutive year. The London Lions are in the Premiership and have come in the top half of the table the past few years.

Joseph said, “Without the GLL Sport Foundation award and support you provide me personally, I may not be able to dedicate my full time to basketball and sustain the high performance level that I have in the past. With your support, me and the London Lions will continue to strive and achieve the success that we believe we can.”

Helen Jenkins

Helen is a member of the UK Sport Lottery Funded World Class Performance Squad. Having been a member of the Team GB Triathlon squad for Rio 2016, Helen has competed at three different Olympic Games. She has achieved more ITU World Triathlon Series podium finishes than any other British woman and has won the ITU world title twice.

Helen said, “I appreciate the use of the facilities in Bridgend and the grant from GLL over the past year, it definitely helps make my training environment easier and better.”

Jade Johnson

Jade represented Team GB at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics in the Long Jump. Jade placed 4th at the 2003 World Championships and won a silver medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Jade has since retired but is still a Legacy Ambassador of the GLL Sport Foundation.

Jade said, “I want to continue to work with the GLL Sport Foundation as a Legacy Ambassador and pass on my experience and knowledge to aspiring young sports people.”

Zoe Jones

Zoe is based in Swindon paired with fellow GLL Sport Foundation ambassador Chris Boyadji. Zoe was very successful in the sport when she was younger, competing in the world championships in 1997 and 2001. She took a break from the sport and is now back with a vengeance, hoping to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics. In 2015 Zoe came 2nd overall in the British Championships and now as a pair, Zoe and Chris are the British Champions together.

Tully Kearney

Tully Kearney, at 19 years old broke onto the international scene in 2015 with four gold medals at the World Championships in Glasgow and has booked her place at her first Paralympics in Rio. Kearney’s most impressive year to date has been 2015, she set a series of personal bests and won MC 100m Butterfly bronze at the 2015 British Para-Swimming International Meet in Glasgow, earning her a spot at the 2015 World Championships, also in Glasgow. Having been reclassified to S9, Kearney was one of the stars of the IPC World Championships winning four golds, one silver and one bronze medal, setting European records in 400m Freestyle, 100m Butterfly and 200m Individual Medley.

Richard Kruse

Richard is an experienced fencer who went to to his fourth Olympic Games last year. He was part of the 4 man squad including fellow GLL Sport Foundation supported athletes James-Andrew Davis and Marcus Mepstead in the foil team heading to Rio. Richard was part of the team that won a shock gold medal in the European Championships two years ago. Richard had the most success for GB Fencing in Rio, finishing 4th.

Richard said, “Thank you very much for your support over the past few years. This year I need your support more than ever because UK Sport in a surprise move cut off all funding for fencing. Even though I came fourth in the Olympics, I will be without an APA this year.”

Justin Levene

Justin competes in the Wheelchair Marathon and completed in three marathons in one month last year! Justin has had an unlucky couple of years. He was in contention for selection for the Rio Paralympics but unfortunately got hit by a car when he was training. This gave Justin a few setbacks, but he is back fit, and training hard for Tokyo 2020.

Justin has attended many GLL Sport Foundation events and truly does inspire the next generation.

Nigel Levine

Nigel is a GB sprinter, excelling in indoor competitions. He was part of the bronze medal winning GB team at the 2007 indoor Championships in Doha. In 2013 he won a silver medal in the 400m at the European Indoor Championships and also helped towards Team GB’s gold in the relay. Nigel had a motorcycle accident earlier this year which put him out of selection for London 2017, but he is on the mend and we hope he’ll be back to full strenght soon.

Amy Marren

Amy Marren, still a teenager became the SM9 200m individual medley world champion at the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships and broke multiple world records in 2014. Amy was ill throughout 2015 but still managed to maintain a high level of swimming. Amy#s biggest achievement was winning a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Amy said, “Obviously as an athlete the costs vary from month to month. Every time I enter competitions I am looking at around £70 for entries, and sometimes have to book overnight accommodation. On top of this I have my monthly training costs that I incur. GSF will help me to cover these costs.”

Aaron McKibbin

Aaron McKibbin is a GB para table tennis winning bronze at both London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympics. Aaron is now training towards Tokyo 2020 as well as studying for a degree part time. He aims to improve the medal colour out in Tokyo, in addition to medalling in both the World and European Championships, as well as improve his national ranking to be within the Top 6.

Aaron said, “I would love to be a GSF ambassador to pass on my experience from competing at a high level to the next generation of potential Olympians and Paralympians.”

Lutalo Muhammad

Lutalo is a British Taekwondo athlete; he won a gold medal at the European Championships in 2012 and also a bronze at the 2012 Olympics. Lutalo was in the limelight after the gold medal was snatched away from him in the last second at the Rio Olympics. This has made him hungrier for gold at Tokyo 2020.

Lutalo said, “Undoubtedly funding from GLL for a professional athlete like myself is immeasurable especially when you have little sponsorship. It would be an honour to work in the role as a GLL ambassador and it would go a long way towards me achieving sporting success this Olympic year.”

Michael McKillop

Michael is an Irish middle distance para athlete. He has won many medals throughout his career.  Michael set two world records and won two gold medals at the London 2012 Paralympics. Michael won another gold medal at the Rio Paralympics and a further two golds in front of the London crowd at the World Championships.

Michael said, “I have been given the chance to be the Belfast ambassador, this allows me the opportunity to inspire and link with the next generation of athletes. With the help of the GLL Sport Foundation young athletes will have the opportunity to gain vital resources to be able to train and compete at competitive level. Young athletes will have access to funding training and sports science support, all of which are vital to succeed in sport.”

Tania Nadarajah

Tania first started archery for fun in 2014, when she wanted a new hobby which would get her out and about and meeting new people. In the same year Tania was talent spotted as part of the ‘Recurves for Rio’ project, when she was fast-tracked on to the GB squad in just six months. Tania first started archery for fun in 2014, when she wanted a new hobby which would get her out and about and meeting new people.

In the sort term, Tania is training for the 2017 World Championships in Beijing. She also has many international competitions throughout the year and aims to medal in at least one of these and continue to be the number 1 female recurve athlete in the country. In the long term Tania is looking ahead to Tokyo 2020.

Daryll Neita

Daryll is still just 20 years old and has had a fantastic career so far. Daryll was part of the 4x100m relay squad that won bronze in Rio, alongside Dina Asher-Smith. Daryll also got through to the semi-finals in front of a home crowd at the London Athletics World Championships.

Daryll said, “The award will provide lots of support to me in many ways, such as help to contribute towards coaching fees, warm weather training camp fees, supplements and equipment which I will need on my sporting journey.”

Tosin Oke

Tosin is a Nigerian triple jumper who competed in his last Olympic Games in Rio before retirement. At London 2012, Tosin finished 7th in the Triple Jump, the best Nigerian result of the games.

Tosin said, “All financial support helps, and being the best when it matters most. I take my role as a current ambassador very seriously, I try to ensure I attend all events I am invited to, and conduct myself according toe the highest standards both in person and through social media.”

Marilyn Okoro

Marilyn has represented Team GB on a number of occasions. She won bronze at the World Championships twice but unfortunately has been plagued with injuries, but is back on form now.

Marilyn said, “I owe a huge thank you to GLL who generously prompted me with a gym membership during the summer of 2015. This hugely aided my rehabilitation and thanks to classes such as spinning and yoga, as well as high quality gym equipment access, my return to running was seamless and very smooth.”

Ellis O’Reilly

Ellis is a young gymnast from Greenwich who has competed in several European Championships and is a three time silver medallist. Ellis’ biggest achievement was competed at the Rio 2016 Olympics; the first ever Irish athlete to do so in this event. She came 54th at the Olympics and is looking ahead to Tokyo to better this.

Ellis said, “The award has helped me achieve what I have in the past and I am truly thankful.”

Shelayna Oskan-Clarke

Shelayna is the current British 800m champion. She competed at the Rio 2016 Olympics and made it through to the semi finals, narrowly missing out on a place in the final. She also competed at the Athletics World Championships in 2017 in front of a home crowd.

Shelayna said, “Your support is beneficial in travel expenses to training because I travel to different locations during the week. Your support is also used to buy equipment that will help recovery after training and competition.”

Pamela Relph

Pamela was part of the quad that won gold at the London 2012 Paralympics and Rio 2016 Paralympics. She is the sister of Monica Relph, GB Women’s Senior rowing Squad member. Pamela has now retired from the sport.

Pamela said, “I am very grateful for the support provided to me from the GLL Sport Foundation and the use of the facilities near me has been imperative to my training and recovery. The added financial aid is very valuable and would help me save towards equipment needed for my sport.”

Alexandra Rickham

Alexandra Rickham is a Paralympic sailor Rickham competed in the 2008 Paralympic Sailing Competition in the SKUD 18 two person keelboat class, where she finished fifth. Alexandra’s biggest successes to date are winning bronzes at the London 2012 Paralympics and Rio 2016 Paralympics. Unfortunately the event has now been withdrawn from the Paralympics.

Alexandra stated the GLL Sport Foundation ambassador award would help with training, equipment and competition costs.

Susie Rodgers

Susie has won over 20 international medals to date, so it was no surprise when she was selected for Rio. At the IPC European Championships this year Susie won five gold medals, anchoring her place in the Great Britain Squad and showing why she was selected. Susie won a further three medals at the Paralympics in Rio, and has now chosen to retire from the sport.

Susie said, “I have been supported by GLL now for over 5 years and I continue to be very grateful for your support on my journey as a para swimmer. This year my funding through GSB has allowed me to access to train at various GLL leisure centres free of charge”

Louis Rolfe

Louis broke onto the scene last year with his Paralympic debut in Rio, coming away with a two Paralympic medals; a gold and a bronze. Louis was a fairly late starter, only taking up cycling after being inspired from watching London 2012.

Louis said, “My GLL award has provided me with access to excellent gym facilities near my home in Cambridge to train and follow my strength and conditioning programme set by British Cycling. I feel really honoured to be supported by GLL and hope to continue onwards with their help to Tokyo 2020.”

Gavin Rumgay

Gavin is ranked 6th in the World for Table Tennis and became British Champion for the first time last year – his best year to date. Gavin has also had success at the Commonwealth Games, World Championships of Ping Pong and Finland World Pro Tour with Top 8 and Top 16 finishes. Gavin now coaches racket sports – if you’re interested in being coached by a Table Tennis star please see his website here.

Gavin said, “This award would provide me with much needed financial assistance to win the biggest events abroad.”

Hannah Russell

Hannah is a visually impaired para swimmer. She first broke onto the scene by winning a silver and bronze medal at the Paralympics in London 2012. Hannah bettered this in Rio by winning gold and setting a new world record in the 100m backstroke. Hannah is based in Manchester and trains at the Aquatics Centre which is run by GLL.

“Financial support for the GLL Sport Foundation has allowed me to purchase a new clock which has been a massive help for myself and other visually impaired swimmers that I train with.”

Perri Shakes-Drayton

Perri had a very successful career in the 400m hurdles but has been forced to concentrate on the 400m due to a knee injury back in 2013. Perri won a bronze medal at the European Championships in 2010. Although Perri didn’t medal at London 2012,  she put in a brave performance and got through to the semi finals. The European 2013 Championships was Perri’s best performance winning a Gold running 50.85 seconds.

Perri has been battling injury for a number of years and is finally coming back into form. She was selected for the 4x400m relay at the London 2017 World Championships.

Jake Sheaf

Jake is partnered with fellow GLL Sport Foundation athlete Chris Gregory. Jake has competed in multiple World and European Championships all over the world representing Great Britain.

Jake said, “Chris and I continue to compete on the world stage in order to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. We devote our whole time to training and competitions despite not receiving any UK Sport funding.”

Lucy Shuker

Lucy is a Paralympic Wheelchair Tennis player who made history at London 2012 winning Great Britain’s first ever women’s wheelchair tennis medal, alongside partner Jordanne Whiley. Lucy repeated this achievement by winning bronze at the Rio Paralympics in 2016. Lucy is currently ranked 7th in the world.

Lucy said, “Competing in over 20 International tournaments every year, your support would be very much appreciated in helping me to supplement my training and contribute towards increasing travel and competition costs.”

Alan Sinclair

Alan made his Olympic debut at Rio 2016 after being named in the men’s pair following a hard fought selection battle. Alan is a former European Champion in the four and has also been on the podium at the past two World Championships. Alan placed fourth in Rio and is hungry for a medal at Tokyo 2020.

“My award will be used to support my travel costs to and from training centres and to aid my food/recovery costs.”

Zoe Smith

Zoe currently holds the British record for clean and jerk. In October 2010 Zoe won a bronze medal in the women’s 58kg division at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, her first senior international competition, to become the first Englishwoman to win a Commonwealth Games weightlifting medal. Zoe represented Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics and came a respectable 12th place in her weight class. Zoe has been working in a coffee shop for the past 12 months to fund herself after funding from UK Sport has been cut. She is fighting for a spot at the Commonwealth Games next year.

Graeme Thomas

Graeme Thomas is among the world-class rowers to have progressed through the GB Rowing Team Start talent identification and develoment programme. Graeme is a former rugby union player who switched to rowing at the age of 20 and has already helped the men’s quadruple scull set new medal milestones at the World Championships. Graeme will be looking to build on all the experience he has gained during the lead up to Rio when unfortunately he was withdrawn a few days before competing due to illness. Graeme is looking ahead to Tokyo 2020 where he hopes to medal.

Fi Tillman

Fi made her major international debut for the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball Team at the World Championships in Toronto in June 2014 and, the oldest member of the team at 40, she helped them to a best ever finish of fifth. GB Head Coach, Miles Thompson stated, ‘the energetic Fi Tillman brings with her energy and a voice that sparks not only herself but the rest of the team, she is a great component to have in any team.’

Jonathan Webb

Jonathan, also known as JJ started fencing at the age of 11 and has worked his way up the ranks quickly. JJ is one of six British Sabre Fencers who was on the British Fencing World Class Programme. JJ’s ultimate goal is the medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. JJ is on the Greenwich Starting Blocks programme, working in partnership with the GLL Sport Foundation, and needs more support than ever now that the fencing funding has been cut.

JJ said, “I am very proud to have been awarded the Starting Blocks Ambassador Award and to have represented my borough in this role. It has been a privilege to act as a sporting ambassador and role model for the younger generation in the borough.”

Conrad Williams

Conrad has been very successful in relay events winning eight senior international medals including gold in the 4x400m at the Commonwealth Games and European Championships in 2014. At London 2012 although Conrad didn’t advance past the semi-finals, he was part of the 4x400m relay team that came 4th.

Conrad said, “The award will help to play for warm weather camp in Orlando this year, the most important time of the year for my training cycle in the lead up to Rio.”

Rhys Williams

Rhys is a Welsh athlete that competes in the 400m Hurdles. Rhys had a very successful childhood in sports winning excelling in rugby, swimming and athletics. Rhys was most successful at the European Championships and won a bronze in 2006 and upgraded to a silver in 2010, behind fellow Welshman Dai Greene. Rhys missed out on selection for the 2008 Olympics due to a stress fracture in his foot. Rhys finally got gold at the Europeans in 2012 and made the semi finals at London 2012.

Rhys said, “I am passionate about helping people in their sport and in the community. This ambassador award gives me the opportunity to do just that.”

Aimee Willmott 

Aimee has been an ambassador on the GLL Sport Foundation programme for a number of years now. She competed at the Olympics in 2012 and still trains in the London Aquatics Centre which hosted the Olympic Swimming and is now run by GLL. Aimee reached the final and came 7th at the Rio 2016 Olympics and we are prouder than ever to be supporting her sporting journey.

Amy said, “The GLL Sport Foundation provides great support for talented athletes and I myself benefited from this. The support from the GSF is amazing, as having another team believe in my potential is really encouraging. The funding and support continues to help with all aspects of my training and I thank them for all their help.”