Olympics and Paralympics / olympics
Bristol Olympic hopefuls: who to watch
The Paris Olympics is about to kick off, with thousands of athletes from around the world taking centre stage to compete for podium finishes across a two week period.
Representing Team GB, over 300 athletes competing in 24 different events will be led to the opening ceremony by veteran Olympians Helen Glover and Tom Daley.
But who are the local sporting heroes to watch out for?
is needed now More than ever
Here is a quick run-down of those who hail from this neck of the woods.
Ben Jeffries, 4 x 400m relay
Here’s @benjefferies_ on the emotion he felt after earning a spot on the @TeamGB men’s 4×400 relay team at #Paris2024!
Full story on Jefferies tonight on @kcautv.
@bcuchargers @briar_cliff @GPACSports pic.twitter.com/ZiSNJTKqm5
— Anthony Mitchell (@AMitchellSports) July 5, 2024
25-year-old Ben Jeffries has made significant strides in his budding athletic career.
Although he spent a significant part of his formative years in America, his connections to Bristol run deep. He was born here and still has a Bristolian accent.
Jefferies attended Briar Cliff University in Iowa and excelled at collegiate level before being called up for the 2024 British Athletics Championships where he won silver in the 400 metres.
His performance caught the attention of Team GB, leading to him joining this year’s Olympic team.
The men’s 400m round 1 is on Sunday August 4 at 6.05pm.
The men’s 400m semis is on Tuesday August 6 at 7.35pm.
The men’s 400m final is on Wednesday August 7 at 8.20pm.
Izzy Thorpe and Kate Shortman, Artistic Swimming
Izzy Thorpe and Kate Shortman are determined to end Great Britain’s 40-year medal drought in artistic swimming at the Olympics – photo:Team GB
Izzy Thorpe and Kate Shortman began their synchronised swimming routines at Filton Leisure Centre when they were just eight-years old.
They later became schoolmates at Clifton High School.
The duo represented Great Britain at Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Their routine that combined Spanish Flamenco with a Japanese twist wowed audiences but ultimately ended up with them finishing in 14th place.
Now, four years on, they are tipped for a podium finish at this year’s Olympics.
Artistic swimming: duet technical routine is on Friday August 9 between 6.30-8.30pm.
Artistic swimming: duet free routine is on Saturday August 9 between 6.30-9.00pm.
Lily Owsley, Hockey
Lily Owsley is no stranger to podium finishes at the Olympics – photo: Team GB
Lily Owlsey has amassed over 150 international appearances, one Olympic gold at Rio in 2016 and one bronze at Tokyo in 2020.
She also won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
A past pupil of Clifton College, Owlsey is a self-confessed Robbins fan who makes the journey to Ashton Gate as often as she can.
After winning medals at two previous Olympics games, the spotlight is firmly set Owsley and her teammates they try to repeat their success.
The team GB Women’s Hockey team will play Spain on July 28 at 12.15pm.
They will play Australia on July 29 at 4pm.
They will play South Africa on July 31 at 9.30am.
They will play the USA on August 1 at 4pm.
They will play Argentina on August 3 at 9am.
The quarter-finals will take place on August 5, the semi-finals between August 6-7 and the final on August 9.
Lele Nairne, Judo
Already a shining star in the British judo scene, Nairne is tipped for a podium finish at the Paris Olympics – photo: Team GB
Born in Weston-super-Mare, Lele Nairne honed her skills as a judo player at Bradley Stoke Judo Club.
Her connections with the club run deep – she has been training for 18 years.
“To be heading to Paris is an incredible honour and a privilege. It’s taken years of hard work to get to this point and it also takes a whole team of people to achieve it,” she said.
Nairne earned bronze medals at the European Cup in Orenburg in 2018, the 2019 European Open in Prague and the 2021 European Open in Sarajevo.
She won gold at the Oceania Open in Perth in 2022.
Already a shining star in British judo scene, Nairne is tipped for a podium finish.
Nairne will compete in the 57kg category on Monday July 29 at 3pm.
Main photo: Team GB
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