SportsAid - SPORTSAID ALUMNI WIN INCREDIBLE 47 MEDALS AT TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES

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SPORTSAID ALUMNI WIN INCREDIBLE 47 MEDALS AT TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES

SportsAid alumni won 14 gold, 19 silver and 14 bronze medals as they starred for Team GB at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games! The 47 podium finishes claimed by beneficiaries of the charity's support came across 20 different sports and surpassed the total of 46 medals from Rio 2016. Swimming and track cycling were the best performing sports for SportsAid alumni with six medals coming in each.

08 August, 2021

SportsAid alumni won 14 gold, 19 silver and 14 bronze medals as they starred for Team GB at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games! The 47 podium finishes claimed by beneficiaries of the charity's support came across 20 different sports and surpassed the total of 46 medals from Rio 2016. Swimming and track cycling were the best performing sports for SportsAid alumni with six medals coming in each.

Team GB finished fourth on the medal table behind United States, China and Japan. The contribution made by SportsAid alumni towards Team GB’s 65 medals would place the charity in seventh ahead of European powerhouses Netherlands, France, Germany and Italy. Judo star Chelsie Giles, 24, was the first member of our alumni to win a medal as she took bronze in the women’s -52kg category….and Josh Kerr, 23, wrapped up the Games as he took bronze in the men’s 1,500m.

242 members of Team GB previously received financial support, recognition and personal development opportunities from SportsAid. Since 1976, the charity acted as the major source of funding for the country’s top athletes before the arrival of the National Lottery in 1997. UK Sport’s formation led to SportsAid focusing on helping talented young sports stars at a crucial point in their development….and fundraising has been a key income stream in allowing the charity to do this.

Laura Kenny, who was Team GB’s flagbearer at the Closing Ceremony in Tokyo, became the first British woman to win gold medals across three consecutive Olympic Games. She was 15-years-old when benefitting from SportsAid support and put the money towards paying for training kit. She told us at the time that her best sporting memory was ‘winning all my age group national titles at Under-14s level’ and that ‘I had no idea I was actually any good and I thought it would just be a hobby’.

Fancy supporting the next generation of Olympic heroes as they strive to reach Paris, Milano Cortina, Los Angeles and beyond? You can help them on their journey by joining the #MyMiles Challenge this September as we aim to raise £45,000 during SportsAid Week! It’s our 45th anniversary and we are encouraging our supporters to undertake their own physical activity, individually or collectively, linked to the numbers 45, 450, 4,500 or 45,000….and seek donations for their efforts!

Here’s the list of SportsAid alumni who won gold, silver and bronze medals at the Olympics…

GOLD (14/22)

Adam Peaty
Swimming
Men's 100m Breaststroke

Tom Daley
Diving
Men's Synchronised 10m Platform

Tom Pidcock
Cycling
Men's Mountain Bike

Duncan Scott, James Guy
Swimming
Men's 4x200m Freestyle Relay

Bethany Shriever
Cycling
Women's BMX Supercross

Alex Yee, Georgia Taylor-Brown, Jess Learmonth
Triathlon
Mixed Relay

Adam Peaty, James Guy
Swimming
Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay

Laura Collett, Oliver Townend, Tom McEwen
Equestrian
Eventing Team Event

Dylan Fletcher, Stuart Bithell
Sailing
Men's 49er