AFTER proving himself on the track this summer, British sprint sensation Matthew Hudson-Smith said he was looking forward to continuing to thrive in the classroom after enrolling at the University of Worcester.
The 19-year-old won gold as part of England’s 4x400m relay squad at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, before claiming individual silver and relay gold over the same distance for Great Britain at the World Championships in Zurich.
Tipped for even greater success in the future, the Wolverhampton-born athlete is now keen to make his mark academically and has just begun his PE and Sports Coaching Science course at Worcester.
He said: “Last year was all about athletics for me, but this year I thought that I should go out and start studying for a degree.
“It’s not just the fact that this degree is going to help me as an athlete, it’s the fact that I can also use it to help develop others too. I want to be a coach eventually and this is the first step towards that.”
After what he describes as a "crazy" summer, Matthew said he chose to come to Worcester because of the location and facilities on offer.
He will be supported by the university’s Elite Athlete Mentor programme, which is designed to help students competing at regional, national or international level maximise both their sporting and academic talents.
With the Rio De Janeiro Olympics now less than two years away, and the prospect of World Championships in Beijing next year to contend with, Matthew believes that the support he will receive during his studies will be vital.
He said: “The support network here is good.
"It caters to my needs and everything is tailored around the individual, which I like.
“I’m not sure how it’s going to work in terms of balancing my studies when the big competitions come along, but thankfully they’re very supportive here, so I know I’ll be helped out.
“My main goals at the moment are obviously the World Championships next year and then the 2016 Olympics, but I take things one step at a time.
"I’m happy to be here, and hopefully I can go on to achieve good things on the track and in terms of my studying.”
Mick Donovan, head of the University’s Institute of Sport and Exercise Science, said: “We have a very strong tradition for supporting students who strive to succeed as academics and as athletes, and we have been delighted to welcome Matthew to the University.”
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