Loughborough swimmer Will Bell is looking forward to a successful career after learning from the trials and tribulations of elite sport with Winter Olympic legend Lizzy Yarnold.
Bell, 20, took time out of Loughborough’s elite sports programme to join four other rising athletics stars on a special Zoom mentoring session with former Olympian and double-gold skeleton medallist Yarnold.
The in-depth hour-long session was set up by Entain and SportsAid – who financially support Bell’s swimming career – with Yarnold’s experience as Britain’s most decorated Winter Olympian forming a golden opportunity for the up-and-coming sportsman.
All five athletes were given the chance to ask a range of questions covering topics such as mental health, preparation and training and Bell was fascinated by the amount of advice Yarnold had to offer.
He said: “It was very interesting to speak with Lizzy.
“Where I train, I spend a lot of time with Olympians, so I know what it takes to get there and their mindset behind it.
“It was very different speaking to a Winter Olympian and someone from skeleton, so it was interesting to hear what she had to say about her sport and the ups and downs and what it took to get to where she was.”
The Loughborough University student was thrilled to listen to the advice of Yarnold, who herself experienced a chest infection during her run at PyeongChang’s Winter Olympics in 2018.
“The important thing I learnt from Lizzy is not putting too much pressure on yourself,” said Bell.
“When you start doing that, that’s when things can start to go downhill. It’s just a sport, it’s not the whole world and it’s important to remember why you started and to try to enjoy it. That’s the way you’re going to get results.”
Fuelled by Entain – owner of Ladbrokes and Coral – and SportsAid’s partnership, Bell has been able to access funding for training, travel and equipment – something that has proved vital after the struggles of the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite that, Bell was able to defy the odds and get onto the British Swimming World Class Programme after breaking the 800m freestyle British age group record when he was 17-years-old in 2019.
And he is hopeful for his future in the long-run, thanks to Yarnold’s advice.
Bell added: “I want to go to the Commonwealth Games this year – I would love to qualify for that, and if I do, I would love to get a medal. The main thing is to not just qualify for the Olympics, but to medal there too and get on the podium in the long-term.
“SportsAid have been really key to my career so far, and they’ve been brilliant on my swimming journey.”
Bell was joined on the Zoom mentoring session by fellow aspiring athletes Charlie Dobson, Caitlin Burgess, Taia Tunstall and Bethany Moule, who are also supported by Entain and SportsAid’s innovative partnership.
And Bell revelled in absorbing Yarnold’s eminent insight, who soared to skeleton Olympic glory at Sochi and PyeongChang, and Yarnold said: “It was lovely to be in that virtual space together with the young athletes. Listening to all their accolades and when they are in their career so young was brilliant.
“The lessons I learnt in sport and athletics helped me in knowing this mad sport, skeleton, and being a young athlete is really overwhelming – which I learnt when I started skeleton at 18.
“Hopefully it gave them a bit of an idea of the mentality and physicality of it all.
“My main bit of advice was that consistency is key - motivation is awesome, but consistency and turning up will keep you going when motivation is low.”
Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Visit entaingroup.com to find out more.
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