A COVENTRY University student has been selected to represent his country at the Judo 2018 European Championship this month.
Jamal Petgrave, already a British Senior champion, will be one of the youngest to compete as part of a 12-strong team for British Judo in Israel later this month.
As well as putting in the training for his debut at the competition, he is now in his second year studying for a sports management degree in what he didn’t always think would be possible.
The rising star is part of Coventry University’s sports scholarship programme which is now accredited by the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) to help student athletes focus on their sports and stay in education.
Backed by Sport England, the TASS Dual Career Accreditation helps universities support aspiring athletes to focus on their education through personalised study programmes, flexible study options and access to online resources.
“I am thrilled to be in the team alongside so many really strong competitors, and we are all training hard now to make it the best we can,” said 20-year-old Jamal from London.
“I got into Judo at the age of five and my dream has always been to be an Olympic champion, but that doesn’t mean I wanted to forget about an education.
“Being a GB athlete I knew it was going to be a challenge to balance my university course and my sport.
“And at first I wasn’t sure I could because they are challenging enough by themselves let alone trying to juggle both.
“But I got a scholarship in my first year at Coventry and it helped me see that it was possible to do both and make it work.”
As a recipient of Coventry University’s sports scholarship, Jamal has access to personalised study programmes, mentoring and flexible study options – and it is hoped his success will encourage others not give up on higher education.
Phil Smith, director of sport at Sport England, said: “Our future sporting champions shouldn’t have to choose between getting an education and excelling at their sport, but they are at risk of dropping out of one of them if they don’t get the right support.”
