St Mary's Alumnus Wins Silver Medal in Rugby 7s

Alumnus of St Mary’s and coach for Team GB’s Rugby 7s Simon Amor won the silver medal in the inaugural Rugby 7s Olympic competition. Earlier in the day the squad scored a close victory over eventual Bronze Medallists South Africa before facing Fiji in the final. Simon Amor’s team put in a strong performance but we’re overwhelmed by the strength and pace of the Fijian team, finishing with a well-deserved Silver Medal. Team GB played consistently well throughout the tournament, qualifying for the knockout stages in first place, defeating New Zealand, Kenya and Japan, before defeating Argentina in the quarter finals to qualify for the medal matches. St Mary’s has a proud history of Olympic and Paralympic success. The University’s sporting alumni include Mo Farah, the London 2012 double gold medallist and GB’s best ever distance runner, Rebecca Romero, an Olympic medallist in two different sports rowing and cycling making her one of GB’s greatest ever Olympians, and Moe Sbihi, London 2012 Bronze Medallist and World Champion Rower. Dave Weir, winner of four gold medals at the London Paralympics, trains at St Mary’s using the world-class facilities and support services. As part of St Mary’s contribution to the London Games the University supported athletes from ten different nations and provided Pre Games Training Camps for China, South Africa, Japan and Ireland. Based on London 2012 medals won St Mary’s finished sixth, the highest placed London institution, in Podium’s league table for universities. Lord Coe, the chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and President of the IAAF, opened St Mary’s latest sports facilities. International athletes competing at the Games used these facilities, which continue to provide a sporting legacy for students, staff and local community alike.