The Architecture student, supported by a Santander Scholarship and coached by Colin Bovell in the University’s high-performance athletics squad, took the baton in the lead and finished with a flourish as GB claimed the continental title in a new Championship record of 43.04.

The quartet of Cassie-Ann Pemberton, Amy Hunt, Alyson Bell and Sibbons had earlier won their heat in a then European U23 leading time of 43.66.

Sibbons also narrowly missed out on a place in the individual 100m final after clocking 11.42 for fifth place in her semi-final.

Meanwhile, Economics student Abi Galpin won four medals while representing the host nation in the Guernsey 2023 Island Games.

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games sprinter clocked 24.02 to win 200m gold and was in the victorious 4x100m and 4x400m relay squads for Guernsey. Galpin was only denied a clean sweep of gold medals after being pipped into second place in the 100m by just three-hundredths of a second in 11.89.

Visit teambath.com/athletics to find out more about the athletics programme at the University of Bath.

Ennis-Hill became pregnant with her first child in 2014, two years after winning heptathlon gold at the London Olympics and she has described how she felt there was no roadmap within professional sport for athletes in that situation.

Ennis-Hill described working with her personal team to adapt a training programme aimed at returning to elite competition, as well as managing professional relationships with sponsors during her pregnancy. That plan was successful – Ennis-Hill was back on the Olympic podium in 2016 – but she believes pro sport should have support for female athletes who have children baked-in to its structures.

After five-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka announced her own pregnancy at the age of 25, and in the wake of an explosive account by the Champions League-winning footballer Sara Bjork Gunnarsdottir of how she was treated during and after pregnancy by her former club, Lyon, Ennis-Hill, a member of the Laureus Academy, believes that elite sport is still not set up to accommodate athletes who decide to have children.

Speaking on the Laureus-produced digital first content series Spirit of Sport, she said: “I would like to see so much more support for athletes going through pregnancy and post-natal and coming back to their sport. Athletes don’t have to say, ‘I’ve done my career and I’m going to start my family’. You can have the two alongside each other and it can be hugely rewarding, although very challenging.

“There is still a grey area within sport: what support do you have access to when you’re pregnant? How does that change your funding? What kind of maternity package do you have? More support and awareness around how female athletes navigate themselves through that time is really important.”

In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview as part of Laureus’ ‘Spirit of Sport’, Ennis-Hill spoke about her career on the track and her new role as a tech founder.

On London 2012 she said: “To go into the Olympics as the face of the Games – I could never have imagined that. I look back now and think ‘how did it all come together in those two days?’ But it did, and it was an incredible experience.”

Speaking about Allyson Felix Ennis-Hill said: “She is a huge inspiration. I have respect and admiration for the longevity of her career … to start a family and come back at the top of your game is one of the hardest challenges you face as a female athlete and she did that.”

With regard to the pressures faced by today’s athletes: “Athletes are brands now. You have to be a personality and a face. Some athletes love the commercial side of it, but others just want to focus on training.”

On her app, Jennis, aimed at educating women about training in synchronicity with the four phases of their monthly hormonal cycle to optimise their performance and health: “There’s a huge gender data gap and women have to listen to their bodies. Athletes need to have more conversations about what we experience as women.”

On joining the Laureus Academy: “I feel so honoured to be part of an organisation with such incredible sportsmen and women and the ethos of using sport to create change and good in the world is so powerful.”

Jessica Ennis-Hill was ‘speaking to Laureus’ digital-first content series, Spirit of Sport’.

With thanks to the Laureus Academy

 Williams, coached by David McNulty at the Team Bath Sports Training Village, produced an outstanding performance to take the 200m backstroke title by one-hundredth of a second after a thrilling final.

Training partner James Guy also added two more medals to his incredible career haul, finishing joint second in the 100m butterfly before teaming up with fellow Bath-based swimmer Freya Anderson to win bronze for Team England in the mixed 4x100m medley relay.

There was medal success for University of Bath alumna Gemma Howell too as she won judo silver for Team England, narrowly being denied the title by Olympic bronze-medallist Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard in a hard-fought -63kg final that went to golden score before the Canadian forced a submission.

Team Bath Netball Superleague trio Imogen Allison, Sophie Drakeford-Lewis and Layla Guscoth also helped England secure their place in this weekend’s netball semi-finals with a 56-35 victory over Uganda.

Stay up-to-date with all the results involving University of Bath-associated athletes at the Commonwealth Games by visiting teambath.com/Birmingham-2022.

Swimming

After winning his first senior international medal in the 100m backstroke on Saturday, Brodie Williams secured his second this evening in sensational style as he struck gold in the 200m backstroke.

The British Swimming Performance Centre Bath swimmer had finished fourth in the event at June’s World Championships behind fellow Brit Luke Greenbank, who took silver, and they were at the front of the field during an absorbing race.

Greenbank held a narrow lead at the 150m mark but Williams produced a brilliant last turn and edged into the lead with 25m to go. Australia’s Bradley Woodward was also making a charge but Williams managed to take the touch by one-hundredth of a second, claiming gold in 1:56.40. South Africa’s Pieter Coetze completed the podium and University of Bath Sports Performance graduate Jay Lelliott was eighth in 2:01.64.

“I tried to work that last 50m and I was lucky to get the touch,” said Williams. “It’s a shame not to have Luke on the podium with me, he has set the standards for backstroke in Britain, but he’ll be back.”

If it was close to a dead heat in that race, there was one in a pulsating 100m butterfly final as James Guy once again produced a big performance on the big stage to touch the wall joint second with Australia’s Matt Temple in 51.40, just 0.16 behind Canada’s Joshua Liendo Edwards.

“It was about enjoying the crowd, soaking it up and what a great race,” said Guy. “I’m really happy with that – cheers!”

Jacob Peters, who trains alongside Guy at the Performance Centre Bath, went out fast in the first 50m and was just a tenth of a second off the lead at the midway point before finishing sixth in 52.16.

Guy was back in the pool for the last race of the night, swimming the butterfly leg for Team England in the mixed 4x100m medley relay. He handed over to training partner Freya Anderson in third place for the decisive freestyle leg and she swam superbly to secure bronze for the quartet, which also featured Lauren Cox and James Wilby – only being denied silver by five-hundredths of a second.

Ed Mildred also received a medal after playing a key role in the morning’s heats, his time of 51.58 on the anchor leg moving the England quartet from third to first.

Anderson had earlier finished fifth in the 100m freestyle final (54.00), just behind University of Bath alumna Anna Hopkin (53.57), while Holly Hibbott was sixth in the 200m butterfly final in 2:09.92.

Ben Proud stormed into Wednesday’s 50m freestyle final, setting the fastest time of 21.63 as he looks to add to the 50m butterfly gold he won on Saturday.

 The morning’s heats had seen Sports Performance graduate Luke Turley, who now trains with the Performance Centre Bath squad, win his 1,500m freestyle heat in 15:35.65 to qualify for Wednesday’s final.

Judo

University of Bath alumna Gemma Howell admitted she had mixed emotions after winning a hard-fought silver for Team England in the women’s -63kg weight division at Coventry Arena.

Double Olympian Howell, who trained with Team Bath Judo from 2012 to 2017 while studying Sports & Exercise Science, overcame Jasmine Hacker-Jones of Wales in the quarter-finals before defeating Australia’s Katharina Haecker to secure her place in the gold-medal match.

Tokyo Olympic medallist Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard provided the opposition and there was very little between the two judoka as a closely-fought final went to golden score. Howell was the more aggressive fighter but, after nearly three minutes of additional time, was caught in an armlock and had to tap out.

Injuries prevented Howell competing when judo was last contested in the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow 2014 and have plagued her career but she won the European Championships in April and said she was proud of her achievements this year – although frustrated at just missing out on gold.

“If you had asked me about a silver at the start of the day I would have been over the moon but that final was so close,” she told BBC Sport. “I could have had it and that makes it even more frustrating. Give me a few hours, though, and I’ll be really happy about it.”

Team Bath’s Rhys Thompson competes in the men’s -100kg division on Wednesday.

 Netball

 Defending champions England secured a semi-final spot as a 56-35 victory over Uganda guaranteed a top-two finish in Group B.

Layla Guscoth started and there were further impactful appearances from the bench by fellow Team Bath Netball Superleague stars Imogen Allison and Sophie Drakeford-Lewis as England set up a group decider against World Champions New Zealand on Thursday.

The first match of the day had seen Blue & Gold attacker Betsy Creak convert all 11 of her shots as Wales were beaten 79-33 by gold-medal contenders Australia.

Athletics

The opening night of track and field action at the Alexander Stadium saw Sports Performance graduate Alastair Chalmers, hoping to win Guernsey’s first-ever Commonwealth athletics medal, book his place in Saturday’s 400m hurdles final by placing fourth in his heat in 50.39.

His brother Cameron, who also studied Sports Performance at the University, begins his 400m campaign around 12.20pm on Wednesday.

With thanks to the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd.

The two-time Paralympic champion from Rio finished third in her heat alongside guide Chris Clarke and her time of 27.93 seconds was not enough to progress to the semi-finals.

The 31-year-old was still pleased with her performance after a disrupted campaign and says she’s hanging up her spikes after Friday’s universal relay.

“To finish my career in the Paralympic stadium in Tokyo is amazing,” she said.

“I wasn’t even sure I was going to be here so I’m happy. I’ve still got the relay to come tomorrow which I’m really looking forward to, so I’m ready for that one.

“It has been such an honour to be on such a successful team. There are some incredible young athletes coming through on the Futures programme who are just starting their journey so I’m happy to see them developing out here.”

Meanwhile, Sammi Kinghorn will be back for the T53 400m final later today after she comfortably won her heat in 56.73 seconds but Mel Woods finished sixth in her T54 400m heat and failed to progress.

Anna Nicholson finished her Paralympic debut with a sixth-place finish in the F35 shot put final – and is already looking ahead to the next Games in Paris.

Nicholson threw a season’s best 8.03 metres in tough conditions, as the rain poured down in Tokyo.

She said: “I wanted to come here and enjoy the experience. It is an honour to be a Paralympian and I will be aiming for Paris because I want to be winning a medal there.

“We have a World Championships in Japan next year so hopefully I’ll be there and it will be a stepping board for 2024.”

It wasn’t to be in the men’s T54 800m, as Nathan Maguire and Daniel Sidbury both missed out on the semi-finals.

Maguire finished fifth in his heat in a time of 1:36.73, while Sidbury was disqualified for a lane infringement.

Richard Chiassaro was also scheduled to race in heat one but withdrew due to a slight neck injury.

Courtesy of ParalympicsGB

The defending champion saw Colombia’s Darian Jiminez Sanchez erase her Paralympic record in the first heat, clocking 12.54 seconds.

But the 24-year old responded in style, equalling her 12.38s time from the World Championships in Dubai two years ago.

She will be joined in the final by teammate Ali Smith, who clocked a 13.19s personal best, while Olivia Breen just missed out on automatic qualification but made it into the final as one of the next two fastest with her time of 13.15s.

“I’m so pleased to have run an equal PB and world record,” said Hahn. “It is such a fast track, so I am really happy with my performance. I am looking forward to racing in the final later this evening.”

Fellow sprinter Thomas Young was also all business as he won his men’s 100m T38 heat in 11.22s, the second-fastest qualifier to the final behind China’s Zhu Dening.

Double Paralympic long jump silver medallist Stef Reid produced the second biggest jump of her career but her 5.75m effort missed bronze in the T64 final by just three centimetres.

Reid, who made her Games debut in Beijing, where she won 200m bronze representing Canada, said: “Fourth is new to me but that was my best Paralympic performance ever, so it’s bittersweet.

“That was a massive season’s best and I’m so proud of turning my season around. I didn’t even think I’d qualify at one point this year. At the start of the season I didn’t think I had much left and that jump really surprised me.

“It was a world-class final with two women over six metres. I started chatting with my husband about the future but we decided to leave it until after Tokyo, I’m just trying to enjoy this moment.”

Elsewhere, David Devine admitted mixed emotions after his return to the big stage in Tokyo.

Devine won 800m and 1500m bronze at London 2012 as a 20-year old but since then little has gone according to plan.

With three laps to go of his men’s 5000m T13 final at the Olympic Stadium, Devine decided to take on the slow pace, hitting the front and stretching his rivals.

But he admitted the furnace-like temperatures in Tokyo took their toll as he faded to finish fourth, just half a second outside a medal in a 14:38.00 season’s best.

“The immediate sense is disappointment but since London 2012 when I got two bronzes I’ve missed every major championship because I’ve been sick or injured. In the last nine years I’ve only competed in two European Championships,” he said.

“I’m proud to get back to this level and prove I can compete for medals.”

Luke Nuttall had no shortage of advice when he arrived in Tokyo.

He is coached by his mother, double Olympian Alison Wyeth, his father is Commonwealth Games bronze medallist John Nuttall, his stepmother is former world champion Liz McColgan and his stepsister Eilish McColgan, recently returned from the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

All told him to relax and enjoy the experience but the 19-year old confessed he didn’t exactly follow their advice.

“Before the race I got myself into the mentality of going for a medal, perhaps I put too much pressure on myself,” he said, after finishing ninth in the men’s 1500m T45 final in a time of 4:02.65.

“My immediate emotion is disappointment, I’m just gutted right now but Paris is only three years away and I’ll be just 22.”

Courtesy of ParalympicsGB

The 19-year-old unleashed her potent kick finish to come from fourth to second and finish in 1:55.88.

She came home 0.67 behind USA’s Athing Mu, also 19, who won in a national record of 1:55.21.

Hodgkinson delivered Team GB their first medal on the fifth day of the athletics programme at the Olympic Stadium.

Jemma Reekie ran a superb 1:56.90 personal best and was second coming onto the home straight, missing out on a medal by 0.09 to USA’s Raevyn Rogers.

On Olympic debut, Alexandra Bell also ran a personal best of 1:57.66.

Hodgkinson, 19, from Wigan, said: “That was such a good race from every single person in that race, it was so open and I wanted to leave it all out there.

“It’s going to take a couple of days to sink in but I’m so happy.

“I’m pretty speechless right now. Kelly Holmes is a legend, she’s going to be a legend for British Athletics for a long time.

“I’ve looked up to her, I spoke to her over the past couple of days and she’s a lovely person, I just have no words for that.

“I want to thank my amazing team, my family that make so many sacrifices for me, they’ve put so much belief in me.

“I don’t normally cry – my friends will be wondering what I’m crying for.

“It means so much. Thanks to everyone who has supported me from home.

“If the Olympics were last year, I wouldn’t be here. It’s definitely given me a chance to grow and compete with these girls.

“It’s not just me who’s 19 – Mu is almost 19, teenagers taking on the podium is incredible and hopefully we’ve got many battles ahead of us.”

Courtesy of Team GB

Doyle is Scotland’s most decorated athlete of all time having won 19 major championship medals, the vast majority of them – including a 4x400m relay bronze for Team GB at Rio 2016 – secured while based at the Team Bath Sports Training Village between 2011 and 2019.

She won her last major medal on home soil at the 2019 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, silver in the 4x400m relay, before taking time out of the sport to have her first child with husband and coach Brian.

Doyle has now decided to officially hang up her spikes, saying: “I take with me so many amazing memories but, most importantly, I step away happy in the knowledge that this is the right time for me to go. I’m not saying it was an easy decision to make but it was the right one and I am grateful I got to choose when it happened.

“The sport has brought me so much more than just medals. I have made lifelong friends, experienced incredible atmospheres, made history and even met my husband because of it. Now we have our wee boy, Campbell, and so much more to look forward to as a family.

“To everyone who has supported me and cheered me on over the years, I am so grateful to you all. What an adventure it has been and now I look forward to the next one, whatever it may be.”

It was after winning her first medal, 400m hurdles silver at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games, that Doyle joined legendary coach Malcolm Arnold’s training group at the University of Bath.

“I was running quite well but felt like I needed a specialist hurdles coach,” she recalled. “I’d met Malcolm a couple of times at different events, so I rang him and asked if he’d be willing to coach me – thankfully he said yes.

“There’s just a really nice, relaxed atmosphere at the University. Everything is here and everything is near – the tracks, the gym, the physios, soft-tissue therapy, hydrotherapy, all you need. It just makes our jobs so much easier.”

Doyle went on to make her Olympic debut at London 2012 before winning her first World Championship medal in 2013, 4x400m relay bronze which was later upgraded to silver.

One of Scotland’s faces of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, she won another 400m hurdles silver in an emotional evening at a packed Hampden Park and followed that up with gold at the European Championships, where she also won 4x400m bronze. Further relay medals followed in 2015 as Doyle helped Britain to bronze at both the World Relay and World Championships.

A memorable 2016 saw Doyle win 4x400m relay gold at the European Championships before being part of the GB quartet that took bronze at the Rio Olympic Games, along with fellow Bath-based athlete Emily Diamond. She also reached the 400m hurdles final in Brazil.

Doyle’s status within her sport was demonstrated when she was voted by her peers to be Britain’s team captain at the London 2017 IAAF World Championships. She once again reached the 400m hurdles final before winning silver in the 4x400m relay.

2018 saw Doyle win her first individual medal on the global stage when she claimed 400m bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham. The following month saw her act as flag-bearer for Scotland at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, where she again won 400m hurdles silver – the third of her career.

A record-equalling fifth appearance for Britain at a European Championships followed at Berlin 2018, where Doyle won bronze in the women’s 4x400m relay, before the 2019 Indoor Championships in Glasgow provided a fitting conclusion to a magnificent career.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight Ltd

Donna Fraser during the Women’s 400 metres race at the IAAF Golden Spike meet in Ostrava, Czech Republic. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Donna’s reaction to the award:

“I am truly honoured to be recognised for the work I do at UK Athletics and to be honest still in shock. The messages of congratulations have been overwhelming and I’m humbled by the responses. ED&I is a journey and involves ongoing conversations and commitment so that it is fully embedded into an organisation. It is everyone’s responsibility to drive the ED&I agenda and we at UK Athletics will not rest on our laurels as there is much more work to do. In the meantime, I’d like to thank all those who have supported my ideas to make a difference and I’m looking forward to building on our progress to date.”

Currently holding the position of UK Athletics’ Equality, Diversity and Engagement Lead Donna has been influential in driving change at UKA and beyond and has also been a key figure within UKA’s “Let’s talk about Race’ programme which recently culminated in a sport-wide commitment to tackle issues of racial inequality.

Her athletics career began as a Junior competing in 200 metres and winning six English Schools titles from there she went on to compete in four consecutive Olympics including the 2000 Sydney Games, where she was a 400m finalist.

Having developed great experience within the field of equality and diversity communications, since her retirement from competitive athletics in 2009, Donna led on British Athletics’ COACH exhibition, which was hosted in recognition of the contribution of past and present black and Asian athletics coaches in the UK from grassroots to elite level.

Originally scheduled to take place in June and double as the GB Olympic Trials for Tokyo 2020, the Championships – the first major outdoor athletics meeting of the year – will now be held behind closed doors on Friday and Saturday (September 4 & 5), televised on BBC, and feature a limited number of entrants and races.

Among the competitors in the women’s 400m hurdles will be Welsh international Williams, a Management with Marketing student who is supported by a Santander Sporting Scholarship.

Her only other race over hurdles this year saw Williams cross the line in 58.49, her second-fastest time ever and her quickest opener to a season yet, so she is excited to see what she can do in Manchester this weekend.

“I am seeing it as a massive opportunity,” she said. “This year’s championships are by invite only, based on last year’s results, and there are 12 of us in the women’s hurdles, so for athletes like myself who are still in age-group ranks there is more chance to get into the final.

“I’ve been back in training since the end of July and only had about six hurdles sessions since then but I’m feeling in good shape. I’ve ran a couple of 400m flat races and I was really chuffed with my season opener over hurdles, that was a big confidence boost ahead of the British Champs.

“There is a limited programme at the moment and there are different competition rules in England and Wales, in terms of how many people can compete on track at once. Events with equipment, like the hurdles, also have additional rules like officials cleaning the equipment between each race. It’s not athletics as we know it but I am just grateful we are back racing at all.”

Williams, who is due to start the third year of her studies in Bath later this month, went back to her family home in Wales during lockdown and kept in shape with the help of her local sports clubs.

“It took a couple of weeks to adjust when training and uni stopped in March but when it became clear how long we would be out of action for, I started doing some running on the local cricket pitch,” she said. “My local rugby club also very kindly lent me some weights, so I was able to set up a little home gym.

“There is a lot to be said about going back to basics with training, particularly running, but there is no substitute for the technical work and it’s nice to be back doing something more structured.

“It has been such a short season but I am in good shape and I want to capitalise on that and set myself up for next year, which will be my last as an U23 athlete. My aim next summer is to qualify for the European U23 Championships in Berlin.”

Also competing in Manchester this weekend is Sports Performance student Alastair Chalmers, a King Sporting Scholar who will line up in the men’s 400m hurdles, while Health & Wellbeing Masters student James Gladman – supported by the Team Bath Dual Career programme – will race in the 200m.

Danny Talbot, the 2017 4x100m relay World Champion, will continue his return from long-term injury by competing in the 100m and fellow Sports Performance graduate David King will be looking to defend his 110m hurdles title.

Find out more about combining athletics and study at the University of Bath by visiting www.teambath.com/athletics.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office at Matchtight

The Charter Mark recognises the high standards of support being offered to student-athletes across all track and field disciplines, as well as the vibrant training and competitive environment provided at the Sports Training Village.

Colin Bovell, Head Athletics Coach at the University of Bath, said: “This is great news and we are delighted that Bath has gained this recognition.

“Our athletics programme is designed to maximise the potential of all involved, whether it is representing the University at a BUCS Championships or competing at international level. There is a lot of fun involved but we also take things seriously and aim to get the most out of our athletes.

“Everything is in one place here – training, gym, physio, sport science and access to lifestyle support – and it is an inspirational environment to be in. Thank you again to England Athletics for awarding us the Gold Charter Mark.”

Student-athletes in Bath have access to inclusive training sessions overseen by highly-qualified coaches, supporting all level of athletes from recreational through to elite. The range of training facilities includes indoor and outdoor tracks, an indoor jumps and throws hall and the newly-extended Team Bath Gym & Fitness Centre, which has more than doubled the gym capacity.

The Team Bath Physio & Sport Science Centre is also located in the STV along with a temperature acclimatisation and altitude chamber, ice bath and warm bath unit.

Student-athletes can apply for scholarships and the Team Bath Dual Career Programme, which provides lifestyle support to help them manage the demands of study and sport.

The Charter Mark also recognises the University’s links to a range of local clubs, providing additional training and competitive opportunities for students.

Track and field athletes at the University are currently preparing for the biggest event of the student athletics calendar, the BUCS Outdoor Championships taking place at Bedford Stadium over the Bank Holiday Weekend (May 4-6).

To find out more about the athletics programme at the University of Bath, visit www.teambath.com/athletics.

Courtesy of the Team Bath Press Office