Stanning praises level of support given to forces athletes ahead of Paris Olympics
Double Olympic gold medallist and British Army officer Major Heather Stanning knows what it takes like to succeed on sport's biggest stage while also serving full-time in the Armed Forces.
The retired British rower won back-to-back golds in the women's coxless pairs at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics alongside teammate Helen Glover, while also serving with the Royal Regiment of Artillery.
She retired from the sport at the top of her game following her gold medal win at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and has continued her career in the British Army ever since.
As the 2024 Olympics in Paris fast approaches, there are three serving athletes who are set to compete in Paris and follow in Maj Stanning’s footsteps.
Fellow rower and REME soldier Corporal Stephen Cox will compete for Zimbabwe in the men's singles sculls in Paris, fulfilling his Olympic dream after missing out on the last Olympics in Tokyo.
Army reservist Second Lieutenant Kerenza Bryson will compete in the Modern Pentathlon event, and Royal Air Force hockey player Air Specialist 1 Liam Sanford will be competing in his second Olympics.
Speaking to BFBS in Cyprus, Maj Stanning said: "For any forces Olympian going to an [Olympic] Games, it is that pride of representing your country.
"They already have that because they represent the country day in, day out, wearing their military uniform, but to be there in your Team GB kit representing not just your sport, but the country, the broader Team GB, it’s a really special feeling."
The three services offer their elite athletes support through their own elite athlete programmes, giving them ample opportunities to succeed in their sport while continuing their careers in the military.
Plenty of opportunities
Maj Stanning said: "The opportunities military personnel have to compete at the highest level is phenomenal.
"Not only are you given the physical support, the financial support, you've also got that reassurance that you know that you've got a job to go to at the end of the day.
"That's a huge relief for many people, so when I decided to retire [from sport] I knew that I had a career to come to, I wasn’t worried about what I'd do next.
"You have that support while you are competing, you have got the medical support, the financial support, the emotional support, you've got a huge team around you."
Maj Stanning said the services have much to offer young and aspiring athletes, and they can push to reach the highest level of their sport.
She added: "I do think that for young and up-and-coming athletes who think 'do I push myself?' - absolutely!
"There's so much that the services can offer you, and also there's a huge amount of experience within all three services of ex-athletes who can give you advice and help you, which you wouldn't have access to necessarily outside.
"So ultimately, at the end of the day, if it doesn’t work out you have got a home to come to and you have got people who will be proud of what you have done."
The 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris gets underway from 2 July and runs until 11 August.
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