We are delighted that Paul has joined our BRIT Ambassador family.
Paul is a former rower who represented Great Britain at the 2008 Olympic Games. He was part of the British squad who won gold medals at both the 2007 and 2010 World Rowing Championships.
"As a former student at the University of Oxford, and having trained and competed with elite athletes at British Rowing for seven years, I understand how many use sport to managed the mental health challenges that many young adults face.
Mindful of the impact of the limitation that the recent pandemic had upon the lives of so many young adults, I encourage everybody to take on the 2,022 mile challenge with me, particularly those with existing mental health conditions! I hope that adopting this challenge will help their mental health, which is vital to avoid long-term consequences throughout their lives.
The annual BRIT Challenge is a fantastic UK-wide initiative to support and improve the mental health and fitness of young adults. Every university, college, specialist college and Students’ Union are invited to embrace the BRIT Challenge, enter teams and encourage their students and staff to participate. To enable all abilities to take part, the BRIT Challenge has been designed to be inclusive. It’s great to see that there are many different ways to add miles to a team 2,022 mile target, including hand-cycling, cycling, wheelchair pushing, swimming, walking, jogging, running, rowing or paddling (paddle-boarding!).
I am delighted to be a BRIT Ambassador and uniting with fellow Olympians, Paralympians, elite athletes from all sports, adventurers and explorers, to promote the BRIT Challenge at universities and colleges of our choice, helping to destigmatise mental health and champion equality, diversity and inclusion.
I urge every current and former Olympic and Paralympic Rower to join our BRIT Ambassador family and help support and improve young adult and student mental health and fitness throughout the UK. It will be a pleasure to support and encourage students and staff at the University of Leeds and the University of Oxford as they take on the BRIT Challenge. I hope all of Oxford’s 39 colleges enter teams and all the Rowing Club members add miles to their college’s 2,022 mile targets.”
Dr Paul Mattick OLY
Olympian, Double World Champion and former Great Britain rower
Between 1996 and 1999, Paul studied at Leeds University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology and Pharmacology.
Paul then studied at Hertford College, University of Oxford, between 1999 and 2004, where he graduated with a Doctorate in Cardia Pharmacology. He was a member of Hertford College Boat Club, Oxford University Lightweight Rowing Club and is also a member of Leander Club.
Between 2004 and 2010, Paul was a Post-Doctoral Research Scientist at the University of Oxford.
Representing Great Britain between 2005 and 2012, Paul competed in both the Men’s Lightweight Pair and the Coxless Four.
In 2005, Paul won bronze in the Men’s Lightweight Pair at the World Rowing Cup in Munich.
He then switched to the Men’s Lightweight Coxless Four and in 2007, won gold at the World Rowing Championships in Munich, gold at the World Rowing Cup in Lucerne, silver in Amsterdam and bronze in Linz. A year later, he won silver at the World Rowing Cup in Munich.
In 2010, Paul won gold at the World Rowing Championships In Karapiro, then in the World Rowing Cup, won gold in Munich, gold in Lucerne and silver in Lake Bled.
A year later, Paul won bronze at the World Rowing Championships in Lake Bled and in the World Rowing Cup, won gold in Lucerne and bronze in Munich
In 2012, Paul won bronze in the Lightweight Coxless Four and then switched to the Men’s Lightweight Pair and won gold in both Belgrade and Munich.
Paul has worked at Mercia Asset Management PLC since 2016 and is Director of Mercia Fund Management.
You can follow Paul on Twitter.
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