St Mary’s Alumna to be Ambassador of Inaugural European Championships

Rio 2016 Silver medallist and alumna of St Mary’s University, Twickenham Karen Bennett has been selected to be the official ambassador for the Inaugural European Championships in Glasgow this year.

The new European Championships will bring together a number of individual sports championships to one event. A majority of the event will take place in Edinburgh and Glasgow and will see thousands of European athletes compete for 137 medals across Aquatics, Cycling, Golf, Gymnastics, Rowing and Triathlon while another 47 medals are up for grabs in the Athletics which will take place in Berlin, Germany.

Karen was selected to represent the Championships after she won a Silver medal in the Women’s Eight at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, a Silver in the Coxless Fours at the 2015 World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette, a Gold medal in the Women’s Eight at the 2016 European Rowing Championships in Brandenburg and a Bronze in the Coxless Pairs at the 2017 European Rowing Championships in Račice.

This year’s championships, which take place from 2-12 August and will be staged every four years, will feature St Mary’s alumna Lily Partridge and Endurance Performance and Coaching Centre (EPACC) athlete Charlotte Purdue after they were recently announced in Team GB Women’s Marathon squad.

Programme Director for Sport Rehabilitation at St Mary’s Elaine Mullally, said, “We are incredibly proud of Karen’s achievements since she graduated from our programme.

"While she was a student with us she was extremely diligent and excelled in all areas, she was a credit to the programme and the University during her clinical placements. Her achievements are even more impressive considering her training schedule alongside her studies.”