The SportsAid Vault

The SportsAid Vault Podcast was recorded live, in-person, for the first time, at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games! Anyika Onuora, Clare Cunningham and Lutalo Muhammad joined us at SportsAid House as guests for the final episode of the second series….and there was also a surprise visit from weightlifter Chris Murray - less than 72 hours after he won Commonwealth gold! Episode six is themed ‘Time to Shine’ and sees Anyika, Clare and Lutalo talking about the atmosphere they’ve felt around Birmingham, what it means for a young athlete to compete at their first major Games, the importance of ‘bouncebackability’ and how best to capitalise on increased exposure – both from a personal standpoint and for less mainstream sports. Chris reflects on his incredible performance and his experiences afterwards! Track and field star Anyika is an Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth Games medallist. She competed in the 100m, 200m and 400m - and starred in many successful 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams. She claimed bronze for Team GB at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and represented Team England at three Commonwealth Games - Melbourne, Glasgow and the Gold Coast - returning one silver and two bronze. Anyika retired from athletics in 2019 and recently released a book called ‘My Hidden Race’. She currently sits on the Team England Athlete Advisory Group. Clare is a para swimming and triathlon legend. Aged just 15, she burst onto the international swimming scene as she won five medals at her debut Paralympic Games in Barcelona back in 1992. She also took the World Championships by storm in 1994 before retiring from swimming following the Atlanta Games. In 2009, she discovered para triathlon and became world and European champion within her class that same year. She became the first ever female para triathlete to sit on the International Triathlon Union Athletes Committee in 2012 and is now the Head of Athlete Services at ParalympicsGB. Lutalo is a two-time Olympic medallist and one of the most recognised faces in taekwondo. He won bronze at London 2012, under the spotlight of a Home Games, and followed this up with silver in Rio. During his career, Lutalo has also won multiple European and Grand Prix medals and is a leading voice on the sport through his broadcasting commitments. Lutalo was supported by SportsAid for three years in the build-up to London and has acted as an ambassador for Team England Futures alongside Anyika and Clare.

Mark England OBE and Darren Chapple are the latest guests to join us on the SportsAid Vault Podcast! The podcast, produced by Hogarth Worldwide and Gramercy Park Studios, returned for a second series recently and is being brought to you in association with Commonwealth Games England and the Team England Futures programme. Episode five is themed ‘Games Time’ and sees Mark and Darren talking about final preparations for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, their roles and the importance of creating the right culture across Team England. They also discuss the atmosphere generated at a home Games and how athletes maintain focus – striking a balance between competition-mode and enjoying the experience. Mark is one of Britain’s most experienced sports administrators. He has been involved in high-performance sport for close to four decades and will lead Team England as Chef de Mission at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Mark is Director of Sport Services at the British Olympic Association (BOA) and was recently appointed as Team GB’s Chef de Mission for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He also took charge at the last two summer editions in Rio and Tokyo as Team GB secured 67 and 64 medals respectively. Mark’s first major event as Team GB’s Chef de Mission came at the inaugural European Games in Baku in 2015. He had previously been Deputy Chef de Mission at six Olympic Games, including London 2012, as well as Chef de Mission at multiple Youth Olympic Festivals throughout the years. Mark joined the BOA back in 2001 and his responsibility for Sports Services encompasses Games, Sport, Athletes and Performance teams. Prior to this, Mark held senior positions with Sport England and the City of Glasgow. He was also Race Director of the Great Scottish Run for four years. Mark was awarded an OBE in 2016 for Services to Olympic Sport. He was as an expert advisor on the Co-ordination Commission for Tokyo 2020, appointed by the International Olympic Committee, and Chaired British Judo’s Performance Management Group, among many other roles. Darren is a boxing stalwart who has dedicated himself to the sport as a competitor, coach and official since 1979. He will be Team England’s Boxing Team Leader at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and is also the Head of Performance and Talent for England Boxing. Darren will be looking to repeat his previous success as Boxing Team Leader when he guided Team England to a record nine medals in the sport – including six golds – on the Gold Coast in 2018. In his role as a Director at England Boxing, Darren brings extensive experience as a team manager and has overseen the delivery of performance pathways, also chairing the England Boxing Team Managers’ Panel, as well as being a member of the Great Britain Talent Commission. Darren recently retired from 34 years of service in the Royal Air Force (RAF) having started out as an Aerial Erector aged 18. During his service, he became a coach, judge, referee and manager of the RAF and combined service boxing squad. Darren is entirely a volunteer within the sport.

Ama Agbeze MBE and Kate Howey MBE are the latest guests to join us on the SportsAid Vault Podcast! The podcast, produced by Hogarth Worldwide and Gramercy Park Studios, recently returned for a second series and is being brought to you in association with Commonwealth Games England and the Team England Futures programme. Episode four is themed ‘Performing at your Best’ and sees Ama and Kate talking about how athletes aim to peak at the right time for a major Games, the psychology of competing in front of a home crowd, the behind-the-scenes work undertaken by Team Leaders in the build-up to international competitions….and managing the highs and lows of sport! Ama is a netball icon who famously captained England to the country’s first ever Commonwealth Games gold medal in the sport. That success on the Gold Coast came back in 2018….12 years after her Commonwealths debut when the Roses returned from Melbourne with bronze. Ama has been capped over 100 times for England having first made her international debut in 2001. She most recently plied her trade at club-level with the Severn Stars in the Vitality Netball Superleague - enjoying a decorated career at home as well as in Australia and New Zealand. Ama began at Team Bath before enjoying spells with Loughborough Lightning, West Coast Fever, Central Pulse and Adelaide Thunderbirds - among many others - throughout her travels. A stand-out moment for Ama came in 2009 when she won the ANZ Championship with the Melbourne Vixens in a historical season for the club. She also skippered England to gold at the European Championships in 2016, and a year later, they were crowned champions at the Fast5 Netball World Series. Ama received an MBE in 2019 for services to netball and is an inductee of the England Netball Hall of Fame. She is also a SportsAid trustee, an ambassador for the United by Birmingham 2022 community programme, and a member of the Organising Committee for this summer’s Commonwealth Games. Kate is a judo legend who broke numerous records during her career and helped bolster the sport’s popularity in this country beyond recognition. She is the only British woman to have won two Olympic judo medals after bagging bronze at Barcelona 1992 and silver in Sydney eight years later. Kate made an instant impression at senior level when she claimed silver at the European Championships as a 16-year-old back in 1990. She celebrated numerous podium finishes over the course of her career – a major highlight being securing gold at the World Championships in 1997. Later that year, Kate was awarded an MBE for services to judo. She was also chosen to be Great Britain’s flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony of the Athens 2004 Olympics….and still remains one of just four women to have been given the role by Team GB in the history of the Summer Games. Kate retired having competed at senior level for 16 years and this illustrious period was followed by a hugely successful stint as Head Coach at British Judo….a role she stepped away from recently. Many will recall she famously helped guide Gemma Gibbons to a stunning silver medal at London 2012. Kate continues to coach within the British Judo ranks and is also part of UK Sport’s Leadership Programme aimed at increasing female representation in high-performance coaching roles.

Ali Jawad MBE and Kristian Thomas are the latest guests to join us on the SportsAid Vault Podcast! The podcast, produced by Hogarth Worldwide and Gramercy Park Studios, recently returned for a second series and is being brought to you in association with Commonwealth Games England and the Team England Futures programme. Episode three is themed ‘Home Games’ and sees Ali and Kristian talking about what this summer’s Commonwealth Games means to Birmingham, their excitement for the biggest multi-sport Games in the UK since Glasgow 2014, the significance of hosting such a huge spectacle after a challenging couple of years with the COVID-19 pandemic, and their reflections on London 2012. Ali is a British powerlifter who has enjoyed an illustrious career….being crowned World and European champion, winning Paralympic silver and claiming two Commonwealth Games bronze medals. He took up powerlifting when he was just 16, and three years later, made his Paralympic debut in Beijing where he finished ninth. Ali had fallen ill shortly before the Games and was later diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. He showed incredible strength and perseverance to finish fourth at the London 2012 Paralympics before topping the podium at the World Championships in 2014. He also won Commonwealth bronze in Glasgow later that year for Team England. This was followed by claiming the European title in 2015 before Ali secured his first ever Paralympic medal with silver at Rio 2016. He suffered a lengthy Chron’s flare-up in 2017 and completed an epic comeback by taking Commonwealth bronze on the Gold Coast in 2018. Ali is currently on a break from competing after finishing sixth at the Tokyo Paralympics. He had undertaken three years of shielding to be able to represent his country at the Games - barely seeing his family and foregoing a stem cell trial during that period. Ali sits on the Commonwealth Games England board as an Athlete Representative and is also an ambassador for the charity Crohn’s and Colitis UK. Kristian is a British gymnastics trailblazer who retired from the sport in 2017. He won 14 major international medals - at Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth level - during a glittering career. Kristian made his debut for Team England at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games when he was just 17-years-old….and he returned with a bronze medal in the team event. Six years later, Kristian helped Team GB to their first Olympic team medal in 100 years….claiming bronze in front of a home crowd at London 2012. The four-year period which followed saw Kristian enjoy podium finish after podium finish after podium finish. Highlights include winning three medals - gold and two silver - at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, before securing the European floor title in 2015. He was selected for his seventh World Championships later that year and captained the team to an historic silver medal. Kristian also led the team at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as they fell narrowly short of a podium finish. Kristian is now vice-chairman of the British Olympic Association's Athletes' Commission and currently works as the Player Care and Engagement Manager for the Premier League.

Paula Dunn MBE and Kadeena Cox OBE are the latest guests to join us on the SportsAid Vault Podcast! The podcast, produced by Hogarth Worldwide and Gramercy Park Studios, recently returned for a second series and is being brought to you in association with Commonwealth Games England and the Team England Futures programme. Episode two is themed ‘The Friendly Games’ and sees Paula and Kadeena discussing diversity and inclusivity, able-bodied and para athletes competing together, getting the opportunity to meet people from nations all over the world, how the Commonwealth Games can act as an eye opener for other championships....and whether the Friendly Games really are all that friendly! Paula was one of Britain’s best sprinters of the 1980s and 1990s - representing her country at Olympic, World and European level in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. She also competed for Team England across three Commonwealth Games - Edinburgh, Auckland and Victoria - where she won five medals - one gold, two silver and two bronze. Since retiring, Paula has worked for UK Athletics for over 20 years – most notably as Head Coach for the British Athletics Paralympic Programme and now Team Leader for the Olympic Programme. Paula is a real trailblazer having become the first woman – and the first black person - to become a Head Coach at British Athletics with her appointment following London 2012. Kadeena is a record breaking, four-time Paralympic gold medallist – competing in T38 para athletics sprint events and C4 para cycling. She competed for Great Britain at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games where she became the first British Paralympian to win medals in two different sports for 32 years. She has won multiple medals at World Championships in para athletics - across 100m, 200m, 400m and the 4x100m relay - and para cycling – in the 500m time trial. Kadeena is a true inspiration who’s aiming to compete in her first Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer after missing out on the Gold Coast four years ago due to injury. The second series of the podcast, hosted by Tom Gayle, BBC sports presenter, commentator and reporter, is inspired by Team England Futures. The programme, which is being delivered by SportsAid on behalf of Commonwealth Games England and Sport England, will see over 1,000 talented young athletes and aspiring support staff attending Birmingham 2022. The programme aims to give the next generation of athletes a first-hand look behind-the-scenes.…experiencing a major Games in the flesh and better preparing them for future multi-sport competitions. It also plans to help aspiring support staff understand what opportunities they could be presented with at a major Games….as well as the challenges they may face.

The SportsAid Vault Podcast, produced by Hogarth Worldwide and Gramercy Park Studios, is back for a second series and being brought to you in association with Commonwealth Games England and the Team England Futures programme! Each episode will see us providing you with unique insight ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, alongside special guests, as Team England get set to impress on home soil. The second series of the podcast, hosted by Tom Gayle, BBC sports presenter, commentator and reporter, is inspired by Team England Futures. The programme, which is being delivered by SportsAid on behalf of Commonwealth Games England and Sport England, will see over 1,000 talented young athletes and aspiring support staff attending Birmingham 2022. The programme aims to give the next generation of athletes a first-hand look behind-the-scenes.…experiencing a major Games in the flesh and better preparing them for future multi-sport competitions. It also plans to help aspiring support staff understand what opportunities they could be presented with at a major Games….as well as the challenges they may face along the way. The second series kicks off in style with Danielle Brown MBE and Tim Lawler MBE as our special guests! Episode one is themed ‘Part of the Pride’ and sees Danielle and Tim talking about what it means to be part of Team England and representing its values, their excitement for Birmingham 2022, the build-up towards this summer’s Games, and the importance of Team England Futures. Archery legend Danielle made history by becoming the first Paralympian to represent England in an able-bodied event at the Commonwealth Games – winning team gold in Delhi back in 2010. Danielle is also a five-time world champion and double Paralympic gold medallist having topped the podium at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 - both times in the women’s individual compound event. Danielle is now a motivational speaker, children’s author and champion of inclusion….as well as an ambassador and mentor for the Team England Futures programme at Birmingham 2022. Tim is the Chief Executive of SportsAid – a position he has held since 2004 after a seven-year spell at Saracens Rugby Club where he was the youngest Managing Director in Premiership Rugby. Back in 2011, Tim was the first person to be publicly named as a London 2012 Olympic torchbearer in recognition of his work with SportsAid….and his passion for supporting and providing opportunities for young people. During Tim’s tenure, the charity has been given responsibility to manage several Sport England-backed programmes including the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme, the Backing The Best programme and, more recently, Team England Futures. Tim is also Chair of the LTA Tennis Foundation. 

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are in full swing….and it’s time for a special episode of the SportsAid Vault Podcast! So what do we have in store for you? Well, as we know, reaching the Olympics and winning a medal for your country is often considered to be the ultimate goal for many athletes. In this episode, recorded on the morning before the Opening Ceremony, we decided to focus specifically on sports psychology and mental fitness. How do you mentally prepare for a major competition like the Olympics? How do you handle the ups and downs of high-performance sport? How can your mind take you to the podium? Our first guest on this special episode is Chris Shambrook - Performance Director of BelievePerform and Psychology Consultant for the Great Britain Rowing Team at five Olympic Games. He has been working in the world of high performance for over 25 years. His first Olympics were in Sydney in 2000….and he has played a key role for the rowing team at the Games in Athens, Beijing, London and Rio. Chris has a PhD in Psychology and is an Honorary Professor at Staffordshire University. He works closely with SportsAid and talented young athletes through the charity’s partnership with BelievePerform. Our second guest is Nekoda Davis - a British judoka who represented Team GB at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. She competes in the -57kg category and won her first senior medal when representing Team England at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. She followed up that success in subsequent years with a huge array of podium finishes at Grand Prix and Grand Slam events around the world. Two of Nekoda’s biggest achievements to date have seen her secure podium finishes at the IJF World Judo Championships - claiming bronze in Budapest in 2017 before taking silver in Baku in 2018.  Chris highlights the mental challenge of preparing for an Olympics and how athletes have to focus on performing independently of unique circumstances presented by the Games. He talks about creating a balance between the process and outcome, avoiding a ‘threat state’ and having a ‘challenge mindset’ to deliver your personal best. He discusses the need for self-care, the importance of training the mind and making full use of your support network. He also covers missing out on selection, acting as a travelling reserve, dealing with unexpected success and making sense of disappointments. Nekoda, who withdrew from selection for Tokyo in order to aid her rehabilitation from a concussion injury, offers insight on the mental adjustments athletes have had to make in the build-up to the Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She reflects on her experience at Rio 2016, how she dealt with the emotions caused by her second-round loss, and how she assessed areas for future improvement. She also examines the increased interest in psychology in recent years and how she puts greater emphasis on the journey, as well as the enjoyment of the sport, over medal success.

Great Britain triathlete Alex Yee is the latest guest to join us on the SportsAid Vault Podcast as he shares stories and insights from his career so far! Alex, who was supported by the Dave Aitchison Fund through SportsAid in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, already has multiple European and international medals to his name at senior level. He enjoyed an illustrious career in the junior ranks – winning silver at the Holten ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup in 2015 followed by consecutive golds at the ITU Duathlon World Championships in Aviles and Soria – in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Alex’s early success led to him being presented with SportsAid’s One-to-Watch Award as an 18-year-old. He has also excelled on the track and in cross country running too – posting quicker 5,000m times than Mo Farah did as a junior. He was crowned senior British 10,000m champion back in 2018 and finished 14th at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin that summer. Back on the triathlon front, having stepped up to Under-23s and senior level, Alex won bronze at the Weihai ITU Triathlon World Cup in China in September 2018 before claiming gold at the Cape Town Discovery Triathlon World Cup, followed by silver on his World Triathlon Series debut in Abu Dhabi, in early 2019. He also enjoyed repeated success in Great Britain’s mixed relay teams that year. This saw him take home gold from the Accenture World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series in Nottingham, as well as silver from the ITU World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series in Tokyo and the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Lausanne. He is a member of the UK Sport World Class Lottery Funded triathlon squad and recently finished fourth in the opening round of the World Triathlon Series in Yokohama. Each episode of the SportsAid Vault contains a themed discussion based around the guest’s own unique experiences. We talk to Alex about the value of ‘support networks’ as he highlights the ‘bigger machine’ behind his achievements. He also reflects on the support he received following the horrific mid-race crash he suffered at the Cagliari ITU Triathlon World Cup event in 2017. We find out more about Alex’s upbringing, the influence of his parents and how his first steps in triathlon preceded track and field. He looks back at his school days and how he played several other sports, including cricket and badminton, as he put the emphasis on enjoyment. He also speaks about success at junior level, not obsessing over times and records, and how ‘one result doesn’t define you.’ Alex, now 23, talks through the step up to senior level, competing against more experienced athletes and managing external expectations for both triathlon and track and field. He underlines the importance of ‘being in the moment’, why he analyses performances post-race and how process goals help him to deliver his best. He also reveals why he made the move to Newark during lockdown.