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Scholars Savannah Marshall, Mark English, Holly Bradshaw, Siobhan-Marie O'Connor impress at Rio

Savannah Marshall, Holly Bradshaw, Mark English and Siobhan-Marie O'Connor all starred at Rio
Image: Savannah Marshall, Holly Bradshaw, Mark English and Siobhan-Marie O'Connor all starred at Rio

Four Sky Academy Sports Scholars can hold their heads up high after producing the goods at the Rio Olympics.

After being supported by the Sky Scholarship scheme since the London Games, Savannah Marshall, Holly Bradshaw, Mark English and Siobhan-Marie O'Connor did brilliantly just to be in Brazil, but they let nobody down.

So how did they get on?

SAVANNAH MARSHALL (Boxing, middleweight - DOB 19/05/1991)

Marshall's Olympic dream was shattered by the No 2 seed Nouchka Fontijn in a very lively and close-fought quarter-final.

The 25-year-old from Hartlepool was desperate to put on a good show after an unhappy experience at London 2012 and there was no shame in losing out to a split decision to her Dutch nemesis in the last-eight.

Marshall, who had lost her four previous fights to Fontijn, started in brutal fashion and continued aggressively in the second round, but her rival grew in confidence and it proved enough as the judges narrowly went for the Dutch fighter.

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Savannah Marshall of Great Britain or Team GB (blue) and Anna Laurell Nash of Sweden compete in their Middleweight 75
Image: Savannah Marshall gave it everything in the ring but just missed out on making the podium

"I thought I'd won the second round and the last round but when I looked at the scores it wasn't even close," said Marshall.

"I didn't win a round. I didn't even get a vote in the third. But she's a brilliant fighter so she deserves the medal. What can I say, I haven't got one; I'll probably carry on after this though."

Tony Lester, head of Sky Scholarships, said: "Savannah had a rollercoaster of ups and downs of injuries, operations, wins and losses on her path to Rio.

"She's come out and delivered excellence and with the help of our mentoring, hers with Adam Smith and Jonny Nelson, who will have given her and all of our Scholars the mental support they've needed when they're a bit shaky, to remind them just how good they really are - from people who've been there."

HOLLY BRADSHAW (Athletics, pole vault - DOB 02/11/1991)

It was an emotional return to the Olympics for GB's top polevaulter who, as Holly Bleasdale, finished sixth in the London 2012 final and was proposed to by boyfriend Paul later on the same day.

The reignited 24-year-old from Preston returned for her second Games after overcoming a back injury that kept her out for 18 months and looked set for a medal in the final after easily clearing every height before struggling at the 4.80m mark.

She was agonisingly close on her third attempt, but it wasn't to be and had to settle with fifth and watch the drama unfold with Greece's Ekaterini Stefanidi beating American Sandi Morris on countback.

Britain's Holly Bradshaw
Image: Holly Bradshaw just missed on a medal in the pole vault

Bradshaw said: "Fifth in the Olympic Games, I'm really happy with that.

"It's a step up from the last Olympic Games but I'm an ultimate competitor so I'm always going to be disappointed whatever happens."

Tony Lester said: "The only female polevaulter representing Team GB also made the final, achieving a season's best of 4.70m to place fifth and it was after a season filled with injury and setbacks.

"She has done extremely well and I personally believe that she has silenced many of her critics. To finish the Olympics as the second ranked European is no mean feat."

MARK ENGLISH (Athletics, 800m, 4 x 400m relay - DOB 18/03/1993)

The Letterkenny man bowed out of the 800m in Rio after he was unable to reproduce his heroics in a semi-final won by eventual Olympic champion and English's hero David Rudisha.

English's build-up to the Olympics was blighted by injury and his fitness showed towards the latter stages of the race and he was unable to make the final despite a late surge. He finished fifth, clocking 1 minute 45.93 seconds, one and a half seconds off his personal best.

The quality of the field was shown by highly-fancied Adam Kszczot of Poland also failing to qualify after a third spot in the same heat. 

English, a medical student in Dublin, revealed he had run "the best race that I could", adding: "It was always going to be tough running two races in two days."

Mark English made the 800m semi-finals in Rio (Instagram @markenglish_)
Image: Mark English did well to make the 800m semi-finals in Rio (Instagram @markenglish_)

Tony Lester said: "He made the semi-final in his first ever Olympics, whilst also studying for a medical degree. Even without his studies, it's an incredible achievement especially given that he missed a huge amount of training with a bad ankle injury.

"To make national selection and then the semi-finals at the Olympic Games, well, that's not shabby!"

SIOBHAN-MARIE O'CONNOR (Swimming, 200IM - DOB 29/11/1995)

The London Games was a huge learning curve for O'Connor as a 16-year-old in her first Olympics, but the pressure was on to deliver in Rio and she did not let herself, Team GB or her country down.

A silver in the 200m individual medley was a magnificent achievement for the 20-year-old Bath star who was only 0.3 seconds away from winning gold and beating arch rival Katinka Hosszu of Hungary.

O'Connor, who has trained in Bath since the age of nine, even smashed the British record with a time of 2 minutes 6.88 seconds as her parents and brother screamed from the stands.

She said: "I was pretty nervous in the call room and knew I had to try to stick to how I swim the race best.

"It was just brilliant and I'm over the moon with the result. It's the best feeling in the world.

Siobhan-Marie O'Connor wins silver in the 200m Individual Medley
Image: Siobhan-Marie O'Connor stormed to a GB record and silver in the 200m Individual Medley

"It means everything, I have worked so hard for this. I am so grateful to my family in Bath and everyone who has helped me to get here - it's been tough but so, so worth it."

Tony Lester said: "Siobhan has ticked every performance box in her journey to Rio and now has an Olympic silver medal! She wasn't seen as the next big thing, but technically gifted and with the right support, we could see how we could make a difference.

"The Scholarship programme helped her continue her intensive training when her funding was cut and she said that without our support it would have been a much tougher journey.  

"She managed to do all the right things at the right time, to get the right result. And it's great to be able to share the brilliant work Sky is doing to make real differences by supporting these young people's ambitions.

"And let's not forget that multi-eventer Olivia Breen is yet to have her moment to shine at the Paralympics in two weeks."


WHAT'S COMING UP FOR OUR SCHOLARS...

AUG 27-28: Quillan Isidore, British Championships, Derby

SEPT 6: Mark English, Roberto, Italy 

SEPT 7-18: Olivia Breen, Rio Paralympics

SEPT 10: Mark English, Great North City Games

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