OA Begins Journey To Brazil 2016!
A former Ashville College netball and swimming captain has got her sights set being a member of Team GB in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics.
Even though gifted athlete Zoe Cruddos, who lives in Harrogate, only picked up an oar for the first time last October, theUniversityofBathstudent has been talent spotted and selected for the GB World Class Start programme.
The university – a UK centre for Sports Excellence – is home to some of the nation’s best known athletes, including Olympic Gold medallist Amy Williams MBE and 400m Olympic medal hopeful Dai Greene.
The 19-year-old Business Administration student was recently put though her paces during a series of tests which assessed her strength, endurance, stamina, and conditioning.
Dan Harris, Bath Talent Development Coach, said Zoe’s scores indicate that she has exceptional attributes in all the areas measured: body type, strength, and endurance.
He added: “These levels compare very favourably with the testing our Olympic rowing champions had at her age, which indicates she has exceptional ability and, with training, could be very successful in the Olympic sport of rowing.
“To put this in perspective our figures indicate that only 0.001 per cent of the population has this ability or potential. Zoe has a special gift, which only three or four others in her area possess.”
Zoe said: “I always wanted to try rowing and after being told I had the ideal attributes, namely height and broad shoulders developed through swimming. I just gave it a go and loved it.”
She was part of the Team Bath squad that won BUCS rowing in the coxed 4 and win the bronze in the coxed 8.
She added: “I am still focused on getting good grades at University, and the opportunity I have to train everyday, twice a day with a full time coach means I can take full advantage of both my educational and sporting ambitions.
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Picture Caption: Future Olympian? Former Ashville swimming and netball captain, Zoe Cruddos, who is being tipped as a 2016 Olympic prospect
