Business School student and University Pentathlete Eilidh Prise scooped an individual silver medal at this year's BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sport) Modern Pentathlon championships, held earlier this month in Reading.
Eilidh, who is ranked in the World’s Top 40 Modern Pentathletes, bounced back from a challenging equestrian element to deliver excellent fencing, swimming, and combined pistol/cross-country phases, narrowly missing out on a gold medal finish in the competition.
Her performance against several other high-performing student athletes from around the UK was all the more remarkable given that she has only recently recovered from a stress fracture that left her on crutches for three months.
Eilidh, who holds a sports bursary from the University Development Trust, is now eyeing a potential Olympic Games spot as she prepares for a gruelling schedule of competition that starts next month when she competes in her first World Cup event in Bulgaria, representing Ireland.
She will then take part in a number of competitions in Europe and Asia before the European Championships and World Championships in August and September respectively, where a combined 11 places for Tokyo 2020 will be up for grabs.
Alongside all of this, Eilidh is balancing training for five sports with her studies. She started an MSc in International Business and Finance earlier this year.
Eilidh said: “I loved having the opportunity to represent the University at BUCS. My dad and grandad both studied here, so it was a special moment for our family, especially as I’ve only just come back from injury.
“My sporting focus is now very much on qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. I can put a marker down this summer but the way qualification works, there will still be a manic few months after my studies finish in January 2020 where everyone is chasing enough points to guarantee qualification. I should know by May 2020.
“I’d like to thank the University’s Development Trust Sports Bursary Programme and the staff who support it. Their help has been invaluable in helping me settle into a new training regime and being able to balance my academic and sporting ambitions.”