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Olympics and Paralympics
The University of East London (UEL) has a rich history of current and former students competing in the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Our alumni have competed across various sports and for nations across the globe.
Adam Gemili - Athletics
Adam has represented Team GB and Team England on a number of occasions. He has competed in the London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics. In Rio he finished in 4th place in the 200 metres. Adam has won gold in World and European Championships in the 4x100m relay, and earned a silver medal in the 200m at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Adam gained a 2:1 while studying a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science at UEL, and during his studies he was also able to win gold in the 2014 BUCS outdoor championships in Bedford.
Ade Ogunlewe - Athletics
Adeseye has competed for Nigeria at the Olympics and at the African games. He was part of the Olympic squad that went to Rio in 2016 where he qualified as the winner at the Nigerian trials. He reached the finals of the 2015 All-Africa Games and competed in the 200m at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Ade studied the LLM International Business Law while at UEL.
Ali Jawad - Paralympic Powerlifting
Ali holds world records in his weight class and has competed at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games. At London 2012 he finished in an agonising 4th place just outside of the medals. However in Rio 2016 he won his first Paralympic medal , bringing home the silver. He has also won a gold medal at the 2014 World Championships and 2015 European Championships, and bronze medal in the 2014 Glasgow and 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Whilst at UEL Ali was studied for a BSc in Sport and Exercise Science.
Aimee Willmott - Swimming
Another of UEL's London 2012 Olympians, Aimee represented Great Britain in the 400m medley during the Games. During the 2016 Rio Olympics she was able to finish in 7th place in the 400m individual medley. She has had numerous achievements on the international stage winning silver medals at both the Commonwealth Games and European Championships in 2014, in addition to three bronze medals she won in other European Championship competitions.
As UEL's most successful swimmer, Aimee won medals at both the BUCS Short and Long Course competitions whilst studying a BSc in Sports and Exercise Science at UEL. In 2015 she was selected as the BUCS Sportswoman of the Year.
Anne Wild - Wheelchair Basketball
As UEL's most experienced Paralympian, Ann has represented ParalympicsGB at five Paralympic Games between 1988 and 2008. She was captain of the Great Britain team from 2003 and was able to help the team win medals at the European and World Championships. In 2010 Ann was also awarded an OBE for her services to wheelchair basketball.
While at UEL, Ann studied an MSc Sports Psychology and narrowly missed out on reaching her sixth Olympic games at London 2012 where she made the switch to target shooting.
Bianca Williams - Athletics
Bianca was selected for theTeam GB 4 x 100m relay squad that secured a bronze medal for Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Olympics . Bianca has represented her country on the world stage on many occasions as part of a very successful women's British sprint relay squad. She won 4 x 100m gold at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, followed by a silver medal at Birmingham 2022.
At the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games she won an individual bronze medal in the 200m to add to another bronze in the 4 x100m relay. While at UEL, Bianca studied BSc in Sports and Exercise Science.
Gemma Gibbons - Judo
At the London 2012 Olympics Gemma provided one of the moments of the Olympic Games on her way to winning a silver medal following a narrow death to MMA fighter Kayla Harrison. Additionally she was able to continue her success on the international stage where she again won a silver medal at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Gemma was one of UEL's first sports scholars and had great success while completing her MSc in Exercise Science and Health. She was able to win a silver medal at the BUCS Judo Championships as part of her preparation for London 2012.
Jona Efoloko - Athletics
Jona was part of the Team GB 4 x 100m relay squad for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Jona burst onto the athletics scene, winning 2016 European Youth Championship gold in the 200m, followed by gold at the 2018 IAAF World Junior Championships.
At senior level, Jona ran in Team England's 4x100m squad that earned a bronze medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, and won gold at both the 2022 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and 2022 European Championships.
Jona graduated from UEL in 2021 with a BA (Hons) degree in Marketing.
Lawrence Okolie - Boxing
While at UEL Lawrence went from heavyweight BUCS champion to Olympian in just over 12 months. During his time at UEL he represented Great Britain in the European Championships, where he went on to become European Champion at the first time of asking. Following his Olympic exploits, he turned professional and has gone on to hold the WBO cruiserweight title.
While at UEL, Lawrence studied a BA in Psychosocial Studies. In 2021 Lawrence was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Sport.
Peter Hardcastle - Rowing
Peter is one of UEL's most experienced Olympian, representing Australia at a total of three Olympic Games including the 2000 Sydney Olympics, 2004 Athens Olympics and 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was able to reach the final in each Olympics he competed in. Further to this he won numerous rowing World Cup titles and medalled at World Championships.
While at UEL, Peter completed an MSc in Risk Management and was able to win gold with his crew at the 2013 BUCS regatta.
Szandra Szogedi - Judo
Another of UEL's successful group of judo players, Szandra has competed many times in world and continental competitions. Szandra was selected to represent Ghana at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She successfully competed for Ghana in the African Judo Championships, where she won four bronze medals. These are in addition to the gold medal she won at the World Cup in the 2014 African Open, where she won gold in the under 63kg weight class.
Szandra studied a BSc in Journalism during her time in UEL and was instrumental in the growth of the judo club. She won gold for UEL at the BUCS championships in 2012.
Sophie Cox - Judo
During her time on the international stage, Sophie represented Team GB in judo at both the 2004 Athens and 2012 London Olympic Games. Additionally she won a bronze for Great Britain at the 2010 World Cup and is a four time European Cup medalist.
While Sophie was at UEL, she completed an MSc in Strength and Conditioning while also winning gold at the 2012 BUCS Judo Championships as part of her preparation for London 2012.
Vanessa Wallace - Athletics
Vanessa has represented ParalympicsGB at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. She reached the Games in Rio following a dramatic rise in the F34 shot put competition, across an 18-month period where she went from novice to Paralympic competitor. She is a UK record holder in the F34 Shot put and discus and has represented the country at numerous European and World Championships.
Vanessa joined UEL via the New Beginnings programme and she is currently studying a BSc in Sports and Exercise Science. At her first attempt won double gold in the 2017 BUCS championships in both the F34 Shot put and discus.
World Championships
The World Championships define the best in the world in any given sport. UEL has many past and present students who have been able to compete at this level of competition across a wide variety of sports.
Alan Sinclair - Rowing
Alan has been able to represent Great Britain on the international stage a huge number of times with great success. He is a two time World Championship medallist with a silver medal in 2014 and a bronze in 2015. In addition to these world championship medals Alan was able to add a gold medal at the 2015 European championships.
While at UEL he won both EUSA and BUCS gold medals in 2012 whilst being one of UEL's first rowing scholars. He studied an MSc in Development Psychology.
Andrew Burns - Judo
Andrew is a hugely successful athlete who has competed in a high volume of international competitions. During his extremely successful career he has accumulated eight Judo World Cup medals and six Judo European Cup medals. Additionally in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games he was able to win a Bronze medal in the under 90kg weight class.
While at UEL he studied an MSc in Strength and Conditioning.
John Collins - Rowing
John was one of UEL's first rowing scholars and has had a great history competing for Great Britain in international competition. He has competed in numerous World Cups and European championships in both double sculls and quad boats and is qualified for the 2016 Olympics in Rio in the men's double.
While at UEL he was able to win both EUSA and BUCS gold medals in 2011 and he studied MSc in International Politics.
Sam Breary - Sailing
UEL's only previous sailing scholar Sam is one of our most decorated alumni in international competitions. In the fireball class Sam is a former World and European Champion winning these competitions numerous times. Additionally he holds a British sailing record.
Sam completed his MSc in Sports Management during his time studying at UEL.
International Excellence Award Winners
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2010
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