Hogan Lovells awards 10 para athletes 2022 Nicholas Cheffings Para Athlete Bursary

The bursary is intended to help athletes with any aspect of their sporting development, including additional coaching, transportation to training camps and competitions, nutrition and equipment. 

The 2022 recipients are:

Winter sports

• Shona Brownlee, Para alpine Skiing
• Millie Knight, Para alpine Skiing
• Neil Simpson, Para alpine Skiing
• Alex Slegg, Para alpine Skiing

Summer sports

• Columba Blango, Para athletics
• Krysten Coombs, Para badminton
• Fin Graham, Para cycling
• Maddie Martin, Wheelchair Basketball
• Jack Smith, Wheelchair Rugby
• Emma Wiggs, Para canoe

Para alpine skier Millie Knight believes the bursary will support her busy season: “I am overwhelmed to hear that I am to receive the Nicholas Cheffings Para Athlete Bursary. Thank you so much for selecting me. It will be put to good use, in what will be a very busy season. I have six new pairs of skis to buy for next season, so I will put the bursary money towards them! Brett (my guide) and I have already competed in World Cup and Europa Cup races, as well as the World Championships, where we have won a Bronze and Gold so far. If I am lucky enough to be selected, we will then travel to Beijing for the Winter Paralympics. I have never had such a busy schedule but I’m excited to be on this journey.”

2021 bursary recipient George Peasgood commented: “2021 has been a bit of a whirlwind of a year; from being in the best form of my life for Triathlon, to a fairly serious running injury, then going away and becoming the World Champion in the Para cycling C4 Road Time Trial, nursing my run injury throughout the year, being selected to represent ParalympicsGB in two sports in Tokyo, then to win a silver and bronze medal at the Paralympic Games in two sports (Triathlon and Road Cycling Time Trial). I’ve done things I never thought I could. I don't think I would've been able to achieve these medals without the support of those around me and the financial backing of Hogan Lovells. The financial support has allowed me to be using some of the best equipment in the world which has had a significant improvement in performance.”

In addition to supporting the bursary recipients, the firm is a Gold Partner and the Official Legal Services Provider to the British Paralympic Association (BPA) through until the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, providing continued legal support to the organisation across all areas. In 2020 this included critical support on the impact of COVID-19 and the rescheduling of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, followed by critical commercial support in the lead up to, and during, the Tokyo Games last September.

UK Office Managing Partner, Penny Angell, said: “We are incredibly proud to support athletes in their ambitions to represent ParalympicsGB in the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games or Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The bursary can really make a difference in preparing athletes for competitions in the run up to the Paralympic Games and demonstrates the firm’s longstanding commitment to championing diversity, inclusion and equality. We are looking forward to seeing how the bursaries can support these athletes in their development over the coming months and years, and we hope to see them representing ParalympicsGB in the future.”

For more information on the 2022 recipients click here.