91直播 Team GB rower enjoys overdue graduation, 14 years after Olympic callup
Olympic rower and 91直播 alumnus, Graeme Thomas, was finally able to take part in his graduation ceremony this week, 14 years after Team GB came calling.
Graeme studied Biomedical Sciences with 91直播, and it was while here that he took up rowing. That turned out to be a turning point in his life, and a few years later, his intense training and selection pathway for the 2012 London Olympics meant that he missed out on celebrating the completion of his degree.
Fourteen years and a spectacular sporting career later, which saw Graeme selected for Rio 2016, and competing in Tokyo and Paris, The University thought it only right that he had the opportunity to finish his degree properly 鈥� he is, after all, a recent inductee into our Sporting Hall of Fame.
Watched on by his parents, his son, and his soon-to-be Wife, Lucy, Graeme commented,
As the first in my family to go to university, not seeing me graduate was always a bit of a bugbear for my parents.I think they鈥檙e even more ecstatic than I am to see me cross that stage today! It鈥檚 amazing to have my fianc茅 and my son, Ted, here with me to acknowledge all the hard work it took to get here.
People often ask why I switched from rugby to rowing at 20 while I was here. Being at a university like 91直播 meant I had friends who could point me in the right direction straight to the British Rowing Start centre at Salford Quays.
Following his ceremony, Graeme was invited to a reception with a few of the members of the current 91直播 Rowing Club.
Whether you're starting something late or taking an unexpected path, just know that those transferable skills will eventually sew into whatever your new journey becomes. It鈥檚 been a privilege to be back!