Leeds Beckett University honours ‘inspirational’ alumni Olympians

Leeds Beckett University has honoured three “inspirational” alumni Olympians who returned to receive honorary doctorates.

The university welcomed back weightlifter Emily Campbell and triathletes Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown during a ceremony at the First Direct Arena.

The three athletes received their awards alongside 8,000 fellow graduates, according to the BBC.

Emily was honoured for her service to sport and advocacy for inclusion, while Alex and Georgia were awarded for their successes including winning Olympic gold.

Alex said: “For me, I had to come to Leeds, I knew the best in the world trained here, and I wanted to surround myself with the best in the world, and learn from them.”

The 27-year-old, who was born in London, is the reigning Olympic and world triathlon champion. After graduating with a degree in sport and exercise science, Alex went on to become the most successful Olympic triathlete, having won two golds, a silver and a bronze.

He was surprised to receive the honour, initially thinking it was a joke when the email came through, and took the opportunity to thank Leeds Beckett for giving him a chance to attend university.

The former student said: “It was such a massive honour to receive this.

“Leeds Beckett gave me a chance because I crashed during my A-level attempts, and they were the ones who gave me a chance and allowed me to come to university, so I am really grateful to them.”

Georgia, who has won three Olympic medals, also found the award unexpected, describing it as “strange but so, so special”.

Georgia training in Spain via Instagram

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She continued: “I’ve lived in Leeds for 13 years and I graduated 10 years ago, and I have used the university ever since I graduated just for sports, and heat chamber sessions, testing, all my medical testing, physiology testing – everything.

“It feels very special and surreal to have this honorary doctorate given to me.”

Georgia, now 31, also studied sport and exercise science, which she explained was due to Leeds Beckett’s reputation for triathlon.

Originally from Manchester, the former student added: “The facilities here are just incredible, and it has just gotten better and better.”

“We have the Brownlee Centre now with the outdoor cycle track; we have our own gym; we have physio rooms; it is perfect and I never wanted to leave,” she added.

Emily graduated from Leeds Beckett with a sport science degree in 2016 and has gone on to claim an Olympic bronze medal in the women’s +81kg category at the 2024 Paris Games.

Her first Olympic medal was won at the Tokyo games, where she took home a silver. She is also the first British weightlifter to win five consecutive European titles.

Speaking about her time in Leeds, she said: “I have a lot of memories in Leeds, and it definitely shaped me to be the person that I am, so it’s very nice to be back here.”

Professor Peter Slee, vice chancellor of Leeds Beckett University, said: “On behalf of Leeds Beckett University, I would like to congratulate these inspirational and distinguished individuals on their achievement.

“Their successes provide inspiration for this year’s graduating students.”

Featured image via @emilyjade_gb/@georgiatb/@lixsanyee on Instagram