August 1, 2016

Students bound for Rio

Olympic fever has well and truly hit UOW, with a number of students past and present making their way to Rio in the coming weeks.

At just 18 years old, first year UOW Nutrition Science student Jessica Thornton is the youngest member of the Australian Athletics team and will be competing in the 4x400m relay.

Originally setting her sights on becoming a chef, Jessica said studying Nutrition Science “made sense”.

“I thought to myself, what do I end up with if I mix sport and food together?”

The combination of her two passions at a university level is helping Jessica both on and off the field.

“Studying anatomy means I know how to fix something that’s sore, my exercise and nutrition subjects help me with my sport in general and I find that my psychology subject really allows me to get mentally strong. It’s all really helpful with my training,” she said.

The youngest in a family of five (six if you include the pet dog, Caley the German Sheppard), Jessica grew up with a Police Officer for a father and a Personal Trainer for a mother.

“It makes it hard for me to say where I got my running ability from,” Jessica laughed. “Both of my parents played heaps of sport when they were younger so I usually say both.”

Jessica is one of a number of elite athletes at UOW who currently hold a NAB Sports Scholarship. The National Australia Bank (NAB) recently extended their commitment to UOW through the provision of the NAB Sports Scholarship and increased the funding given to elite athletes each year.

Executive Director of UOW’s University Recreation and Aquatic Centre, Paul Manning, said the NAB Sports Scholarship recognises the outstanding abilities of UOW sports men and women and provides much needed financial support.

“Many of our elite athletes will have certain training requirements and commitments that can often be a financial burden,” Mr Manning said.

“The NAB Sports Scholarship allows our elite athletes to pursue academic and sporting commitments simultaneously.”

When asked where she hopes to be in five years, Jessica rattled off a list that included having a UOW degree, a Commonwealth Games, World Championships and a second Olympic Games under her belt. Plus her own business in Nutrition and Dietetics.

“I’m really inspired by people who never give up, they just keep going no matter how hard it is,” Jessica said.

Medical and Radiation Physics student Wesley Roberts will also be heading to Rio, representing the Cook Islands in 1500m freestyle.

UOW would like to wish all of our athletes the very best of luck at Rio.

Interested in studying nutrition like Jessica? Check out UOW’s health degrees that QILT rates as the best in NSW/ACT.