Athlete Information:
Name: Rhodri Williams
Age: 19
Sport: Athletics
Course: Bilingual Sport and Physical Education
Year of study: 1
Athlete Profile
My name is Rhodri Williams. I am a 400m Hurdler and occasionally a 400m runner. I started Athletics when I was 11 years old and tried almost every event possible without being very good at any of them. I finally found an event I was good at in the 400 hurdles; in my first race in this event I qualified to run for Welsh schools in the SIAB International which was my first international competition in 2014. That year I went on to win the Welsh U20 400m Hurdles championships.
In 2015, I got my next international appearance running for Wales U18 in the Celtic games in Scotland, running in the 400 Hurdles in which I finished first. I became the 2015 champion as well as coming third with the 4x400m relay team. In this year I also won the Welsh schools championships over 400m and 400m hurdles, as well as the Welsh U20 championships.
In 2016, I received another Welsh U20 call up for the Welsh athletics indoor international in NIAC, Cardiff. I competed in the 400m as well as the 4x200 relay, in which the team broke the Welsh record on our way to winning the race. Also in 2016, I was very humbled to receive my first Great Britain Juniors call up for the 400m Hurdles at the Loughborough international. Sadly, a week after my first GB juniors competition, I tore my hamstring which ruled me out for the rest of that season.
What difference has the scholarship made?
When choosing a University, I mainly focused on making sure I was able to pursue my athletic career alongside my academic studies. Cardiff Metropolitan University offered a great selection of scholarships which would be a great help towards me being able to balance training commitments and studies. The scholarship has been able to help me in many ways by supporting me through funding towards my accommodation, and has also given me an allowance for the canteens around campus which provides me with a quick, easy and healthy snack or food between training and lectures. The massage support has also been great for me to recover from sessions and from my injuries. I have access to facilities which have helped and will help me in my rehabilitation.
