Our 2020/21 Scholars

Britain has excelled in producing world class female multi eventers, from Mary Peters to Jessica Ennis-Hill, Denise Lewis to Katerina Johnson-Thomspon, and Niamh Emerson is fast becoming the next one to watch. 

Four years after Loughborough's own Morgan Lake won World Junior heptathlon gold, 2018 was Niamh's turn to top the podium as the world's best junior multi-eventer. Niamh only completed two heptathlons in 2018, but she made sure those two counted, and as well as the aforementioned World Junior gold, Niamh took Commonwealth bronze for England at her first major senior Championships.

Although injury scuppered most of the 2019 outdoor season, it wasn't before Niamh took her first medal in a senior British vest, winning a silver medal behind KJT in the Pentathlon at the European Indoor Championships, setting a world best score for a 19 year old in the process. As Jess Ennis-Hill had half an eye on a young Kat Johnson-Thompson in 2012, it seems that history may be repeating itself. Niamh will hope to be on the plane to Tokyo in 2021, with Kat having half an eye on yet another young multi-talented British female.  

Coaches: David Feeney/Shaun Pickering/Graham Ravenscroft/Goldie Sayers

In 2014 Morgan Lake was crowned the most successful Junior multi-eventer in the world when she won the World Junior Championships Heptathlon title in Eugene, USA. Not content with one gold medal, Morgan returned to the stadium four days later to take the win in the high jump as well.

Since then, Morgan has gone on to specialise in the high jump where she holds national records in the U17, U20 and U23 age groups. She is the joint indoor British record holder with a height of 1.97m, a height which she has also achieved outdoors to place her joint second on the British all time list.   

Although 2020 sees Morgan graduate from the U23 age group category, she already holds six senior national titles and has represented Great Britain at European, World and Olympic level. 2018 also saw Morgan representing Engand at her first Commonwealth Games, where she jumped 1.93m to take silver. 

Coaches: Eldon Lake/Fuzz Caan

Zak Skinner is the British record holder for the T13 long jump, and in 2019, having just turned 21, he attended his 3rd major Para Championships. Zak has a condition called ocular albinism, which causes 75/6 vision - he needs to be six metres away from an object to see what a person with perfect vision can see at 75 metres.

The long jumper, sprinter (and occasional shot putter!) comes from a multi events background, but decided to specialise in the speed/power events in 2017. Since then he has attended two World Para Championships and one European Para Championships, picking up European long jump silver in Berlin in 2018 and finishing 4th and 5th in the same event at London 2017 and Dubai 2019 respectively. 

Zak has won medals in the 100m, long jump and shot at BUCS competitions over the past few years, and Loughborough is excited to be supporting Zak's ambition to attend his first Paralympic Games, with Tokyo in 2021 the ultimate goal. 

Coach: Aston Moore