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Miley inspires fellow students with Olympic-themed challenge

North-east Olympian, Hannah Miley, will launch a new London 2012 affiliated sports engagement initiative today (Friday 18 November) that will run at Robert Gordon University from now until the London 2012 games.

The sports and exercise science student will play a ceremonial role in the first heat of ‘RGU’s Greatest Athlete’ – a seven month series of Olympic sporting challenges and festivals run by staff and volunteers at the university’s state-of the-art sports facility, RGU: SPORT.

The programme has just this morning been granted the London 2012 Inspire mark, the badge of the London 2012 Inspire programme which recognises exceptional and innovative projects inspired by the 2012 Games

Today’s launch will see 18 students competing throughout the afternoon in the first of a four-heat, multi-sport challenge to win the university’s inaugural greatest athlete award. The competitors will battle it out over a trio of events, namely a 1000m rowing race, followed by a 1600m cycling challenge and lastly a 50m swim finale.

The winner will be chosen based on his or her aggregate score across all three events. They will receive their certificate from Hannah and will be one step closer to securing a place in the April 2012 final. The day’s activities will finish at 3.30pm with a celebratory swim festival that is open to students from across the university.

The remaining heats in the challenge, which will take place once a month, will see the university’s budding sport stars compete in a range of other Olympic sports, including basketball, table tennis, badminton, rock-climbing and football.

With the London 2012 Games on the near horizon, and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games not far behind, ‘RGU’s Greatest Athlete’ aims to support the UK-wide campaign to increase grass root participation in sport and improve the performance of athletes. A host of festivals and cultural events will run parallel to the heats to raise awareness of health and wellbeing as important elements of a well-rounded student experience.

Hannah, who most recently took seven gold medals at the Sunderland ASC Firecracker gala, said: “This is a great event for the university community and I’m pleased to play my part in encouraging fellow students to get involved in sport, whether participating competitively or simply as a way to keep active.”

President of Sport and Physical Activity Nicola Scott is working with student volunteers from the university’s Sport and Physical Activity Team to deliver the series of events.

She stated: “The Olympics and Commonwealth Games are an inspiration to us all, and athletes like Hannah are shining examples of the good that sport can do at the levels of the individual and wider society. In running this series of events, we hope to capture this spirit of participation and further develop the university’s culture of engagement in physical activity.”

Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games said: “RGU’s Greatest Athlete is encouraging the university community to fulfil their potential. I am proud that with the help of partners such as RGU, we are delivering our vision to use the power of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to boost participation in healthy activities.”

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