Great Britain’s most decorated Olympian, Sir Chris Hoy, is calling on sporting stars of the future to sign up for an exciting new talent identification campaign.
#DiscoverYourPower, a partnership between UK Sport, the English Institute of Sport (EIS) and British Cycling, is targeting powerful 15-21 year old males and females to be fast-tracked into the world of high performance sport.
Launched today (March 2nd) at the World Track Cycling Championships at the Lee Valley VeloPark, the campaign aims to identify talented young potential sprint cyclists who could be challenging for Olympic medals at Tokyo 2020 and beyond.
Sir Chris Hoy, who won six Olympic gold medals during a glittering career, said:
“UK Sport and the English Institute of Sport have a strong track record of finding great British talent and then finding the right sports in which those talents can succeed.
“Likewise, British Cycling has consistently produced world-class riders over many years and in Katy Marchant there is an excellent example of someone who will be competing in this week’s UCI Track Cycling World Championships having switched to cycling just three years ago.
“So it’s very exciting to see the three organisations partnering for #DiscoverYourPower - the next great British sprint cycling talent is out there and they’ve just been given the opportunity to take the first step on the road to the Tokyo Olympics.”
Katy Marchant, who transferred from athletics to cycling three years ago, said: “I made the switch to cycling and I haven’t looked back – British Cycling’s Rider Route is a world-leading talent development programme with a history of successes including Jason Kenny, Liam Phillips, Ed Clancy and Laura Trott.
“The Great Britain Cycling Team can be a tough place and there are high expectations on everyone, staff and riders, but it is also an environment where there is a passionate determination to give talented people the best possible chance to shine.”
Previous UK Sport and EIS talent identification campaigns have discovered Olympic rowing champion Helen Glover, Taekwondo Olympic bronze medallist Lutalo Muhammad and Sochi 2014 Skeleton gold medallist Lizzy Yarnold.
Since 2007, the UK Talent Team (the campaign arm of the Performance Pathways Team) has worked in partnership with 22 Olympic and Paralympic sports and over 100 World Class coaches; run 12 National athlete recruitment campaigns, and assessed over 9000 athletes.
These projects have resulted in over 100 newly identified athletes entering the World Class system with over 600 international appearances made and over 250 international medals won.
Natalie Dunman, Head of Performance Pathways at UK Sport, said:
“#DiscoverYourPower is all about ensuring young people with raw sporting talent get the opportunity to reach their full potential no matter what their background.
“We are looking for athletes with raw speed or power. You might just be in the wrong sport, but with the potential, with access to the right training and support, to become a future Olympic medallist.
“If you are highly competitive, mentally tough and up for the challenge of a lifetime – we want to hear from you.”
Ian Yates, British Cycling Performance Pathway Manager, said: “Talent selection, identity and transfer are all essential parts of our recruitment processes and important aspects of the Rider Route, British Cycling’s programme to help the most promising riders become the stars of world and Olympic cycling.
“The Great Britain Cycling Team has always looked at all avenues for talent, be it those coming through the club system like Becky James, those moving between disciplines like Shanaze Reade, and those that can transfer quickly from another sport like Katy Marchant. We are setting our sights on Tokyo and beyond and we’ll leave nothing to chance in finding and developing the best British sporting talent.”
#DiscoverYourPower will have two testing phases beginning in July with the very best joining British Cycling’s National Lottery funded World Class Programme where they will benefit from access to world leading science, medicine and technology to help them reach their full sporting potential.
As well as track cycling there will also be opportunities to be considered for other Olympic sports such as Canoeing and Skeleton where power is an important factor.
You can find our more and sign up for #DiscoverYourPower at here.
If you do not meet the criteria for #DiscoverYourPower but are interested in applying for our future campaigns please register your interest here and we will contact you with any suitable opportunities later this summer.