Jonny: We both really appreciate how the University of Leeds supported us during our studies. Both of us received scholarships from the University and we were able to juggle our education and training commitments so we got the best of both worlds. I was allowed to take my exams all over the world when I was qualifying for the Olympics and I could split my final year in two, which meant I could concentrate on training as a full-time athlete.
Alistair: I think at 18 I wasn’t ready to be a full-time professional athlete, so being able to study while I trained meant I had more options. We’re really passionate about helping others do the same so we set up the Brownlee Brothers’ Partnership with the University, which helps talented athletes continue with their studies and pursue a successful career in sports.
Jonny: We’ve just started training again for the next Olympics (2016) and we use the facilities at The Edge at least twice a week. The fact that the pool and gym were on site when we were studying made it so much easier to fit training in.
Alistair: The 25m performance pool is perfect for our training; we also use the strength and conditioning room and playing fields. The facilities in the pipeline are really exciting as well.