Olympic Team GB Boxing Captain welcomed by Uni
Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:10:00 BST
Olympic Team GB Boxing Captain welcomed by Uni
Tom Stalker (right) is pictured with Head of Staff Development Martin Plant, who was the University's Olympic Torchbearer.
The University welcomed Team GB Boxing Captain Tom Stalker to the Queensgate Campus today.
Olympic medal hope Tom was met by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Bob Cryan, and the University’s Olympic Torchbearer, Martin Plant.
Tom’s visit was arranged by the building contractors GB Building Solutions, who sponsor the Olympic athlete and who recently completed the work on the University’s £12 million Innovation Centre on Firth Street.
Light welterweight Tom has already won a Commonwealth gold medal and silver medals at the European Championships in 2010 and 2011 and a bronze at the World Amateur Boxing Championships. He is one of the top seeds at the London Games and is strongly tipped for a medal.
The Liverpudlian had photos taken with staff and students before enjoying lunch on the campus: “I have to watch what I eat at the moment,” said Tom, who was going from Huddersfield to take up residence in the Olympic Village. “I’ll be blocking out the outside world to totally focus on my training. It’s really the only way to do it, but I shall certainly miss my wife and daughters.”
“I’ve never been to Huddersfield before, but the University gave me a great reception. I was really impressed. They’ve invited me back and, hopefully, I’ll be able to bring an Olympic medal with me next time.”
