Loughborough University, GB Bobsleigh and British Athletics are delighted to announce the creation a unique partnership to help British athletes win medals in both summer and winter Olympics.

GB Bobsleigh will be basing a small squad of their top performers at Loughborough to benefit from the world class athletics training environment being created here by British Athletics.

Supported by the University, British Athletics and GB Bobsleigh will be training alongside each other in the High Performance Athletics Centre to maximise the power and sprinting capabilities of their respective groups of athletes.

Gary Anderson, Performance Director for GB Bobsleigh said:

“We are looking for every possible advantage for our performers in the run up to the Sochi Winter Olympics. In looking to base ourselves at Loughborough we wanted to benefit from not only the world class training facilities but also the sprint coaching knowledge and expertise embedded in British Athletics. Being here will give us a better chance of being on a podium in Sochi.”

Neil Black, Performance Director of British Athletics said:

“We are delighted to be able to work alongside another NGB that shares our aspiration to see British athletes at the top of the Olympic podium.

“Working collaboratively means we can share best practice about developing power and sprint speed and the training of both sets of athletes can be coordinated easily within the same space with benefits to all.”

Peter Keen, Director of Sport at Loughborough University said:

“This is the start of what I believe will be a hugely beneficial partnership where both sports pool knowledge and best practice in their common pursuit of international success.

“Despite the widely differing competition environments the development of explosive sprinting power and technique is key to both sports, and this is reflected in the movement of athletes and coaches from Athletics into Bobsleigh.

“This type of collaboration is only possible where elite sport programmes can co-exist in a dedicated, specialised training environment – something that Loughborough University is proud to provide for a number of leading sports.

“But what makes us special within British sport is the value we can add to our sports partners as a result of our science and engineering expertise in a wealth of sport and performance related fields, combined with a sporting culture that pervades campus life. It is why we are committed to becoming the preeminent elite training centre in the UK.”

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