TWO Worcester students will be heading to Rio to help British athletes competing in the Paralympic Games.
John Francis and Nathan Payne will both travel to Brazil for the Games which get under way tonight (Wednesday) to assist the British wheelchair basketball team, using their expertise in performance analysis.
Originally from Kent, John will be going to Rio as the lead performance analyst for both men’s and women’s squads and the men’s team manager.
The 25-year-old began his PhD at the university’s Institute of Sport and Exercise Science in April 2014 after completing a masters degree in sports coaching at the University of Worcester.
He said: “I will be utilising all the information that I have been compiling as part of my PhD in performance analysis in wheelchair basketball to ensure both squads achieve their performance targets.”
Nathan, who has just completed his undergraduate degree, will be starting a new master’s degree in applied performance analysis when he returns from Rio,
Originally from West Bromwich, the 21-year-old started working with the British wheelchair basketball team in February 2015 as a performance analyst intern assisting John at the 2015 European Championships.
During the Paralympic Games, Nathan will be working as an assistant performance analyst for both the men’s and women’s squad.
He said: “I felt amazed and overwhelmed by the news. It was the culmination of all the hard work and persistence that I had put in as an intern for the last 18 months.
“I am honoured to be going as a vital member of the support staff and cannot wait to support the teams in their bid for medal success.”
