‘WORLD CHALLENGE’ AWAITS OLYMPIC STAR
Winter Olympics Gold Medallist Lizzy Yarnold MBE is the new brand ambassador of World Challenge.
The 25-year-old Skeleton star, who shot to fame with her heroics on the Sochi track back in February, has pledged her support to the leading global provider of student-led expeditions.
Lizzy, who originates from Kent but now lives and trains in Bath, is a keen advocate of the great outdoors and undertook a World Challenge expedition across the Maya Route (Belize, Guatemala and Mexico) with Maidstone Girls Grammar in 2006.
And she still maintains that her World Challenge experience helped her develop into the athlete that she is today.
She said: “It was such a worthwhile experience and I picked up so many life lessons; working as part of a team, leadership and coping mechanisms. I also think I learnt to be a lot more confident in myself and particularly in my ability to make decisions.
“Being a part of World Challenge certainly had a huge impact on my life and helped me grow as a person and as an athlete. It’s great to be involved again!
“I refer back to my World Challenge experience all the time and I’d recommend it to anyone who was thinking about doing it. It was one of the best months of my whole life and I still tell people all about it even now.”
Lizzy, a leading contender in the Sunday Times/Sky Sports Sportswoman of the Year Award, will work alongside the company over the next year to help highlight the value of a student expedition; not just in terms of gaining life experience and valuable transferable skills, but also the importance of being physically and mentally prepared for the challenge.
She added: “I’ve been there and done it and can use my experience to tell other school children the benefits they will gain from taking part. I know for a fact that once involved, they’ll love every minute of it!”
Group Managing Director Matt Eastlake is delighted to have Lizzy on board and feels her own personal expedition experience will resonate with current students, and hopefully encourage more of them to sign up to the experience of a lifetime.
He said: “Lizzy is a role-model for a lot of youngsters and we are delighted to have her as part of the team.
“She is very composed and pragmatic, has a passion for outdoors adventure, and a tendency to excel at the highest level when competing outside of her comfort zone in different countries.
“I am a firm believer, and this applies to our Challengers (students), that only when people are challenged do they learn best – Lizzy is living proof of this.”
Lizzy is back on the track in December when she will be hoping to defend her World Cup title before competing in the World Championships in Winterberg, Germany in March.
For more information about World Challenge and to see the full interview with Lizzy visit www.world-challenge.co.uk
For more information about this release or for images, please contact:
Jon Dale
Global Communications Manager
World Challenge
44 (0)7824 016041
jdale@world-challenge.co.uk
World Challenge
17-21 Queens Road
High Wycombe
HP13 6AQ
www.world-challenge.co.uk
