Ambassador biographies
Francesca Jones
UK’s Number 1 Rhythmic Gymnast Champion sponsored by Haven Holidays
Francesca Jones (born 9th November 1990) has been training as a gymnast since the age of 6. By the time she was twelve she was faced with choosing between a Regional Artistic competition or testing for the Rhythmic National Squad.Still only 19 she has achieved some impressive credentials, currently ranked as the top British Senior and Welsh Gymnast of the year in 2008 she was British Rhythmic Gymnast Champion in both 2006 and 2007.
Francesca represented Wales in the 2004 Commonwealth Games at Melbourne. And she continues to represent Great Britain at many world class events including the Senior European and World Championships in 2007. This year she hopes to represent Great Britain at both the European and World Championships with her hopes set on 2011 European and World Championships followed by the Olympics in London 2012.
A member of the National Rhythmic Academy Francesca trains twice daily six days a week.
Keziah Gore
British Junior Champion Rythmic Gymnast sponsored by Haven Holidays
Born in December 1994, Keziah Gore is still only 14 so has a fantastic future ahead of her . She started rhythmic gymnastics at her local club in Canterbury when she was still only 7 and her talent was quickly spotted – within months of starting she was taking part in serious competitions.
By the age of 9 she was entering National level competitions and has since been Junior Champion in the UK, represented Britain in the Junior European Championships in 2008 and achieved Silver in the Australian Youth Olympics in January 2009.
Keziah is one of five children and her mother, Jo says ‘Kezi is hugely determined. Her training schedule is very intense, involving at least three hours daily during term time and six hours a day during the school holidays. She was thrilled to achieve Silver in the Australian Youth Olympics but a real high spot of her career was becoming British Under-12’s champion at the same time as her sister achieved the top award in the Under-9’s. Her next goal is the Commonwealth Games in 2010 followed by the World Championships in 2011 and then of course the Olympics in 2012.’
Jo continued: ‘We were thrilled to be sponsored by Haven Holidays. It means we can afford the choreography for new routines and are able to provide better medical care for Kezi including regular physiotherapy and massage.Obviously the sponsorship money will help a lot with the travel costs and even a new leotard costs around £200. It really has made a huge difference.’
Aliya Itzkowitz
Aliya is a teenager of many cultures. Born in Los Angeles, in 1994, Aliya has spent time in The United States, England and India. Fencing was a sport she learned of from her American grandfather. His stories interested her enough to give the sport a try and it was an instant ‘click’! “Fencing is a wonderful sport that combines both mental and physical challenges” says Aliya. Indeed, what inspires Aliya is to strive to do her best – at her fencing and at her school, where she is preparing for GCSEs. Recently, Aliya represented her school at the London Schools’ Athletic Championships. She recognises the importance of cross-training and of sport to overall fitness and performance.
Aliya has been fortunate to be a two-time British Youth Sabre Champion. She has also won other National titles such as the Public Schools Fencing Championships and the Bristol Cadet. She trains thrice a week with a view to improving as a fencer– both domestically and internationally.
Matthew Byfield
Matthew Byfield was born in North London in 1986, and is one of the top 20 deaf football players in Great Britain. As soon as he was old enough to kick a ball he wanted to play football. Matthew left Blanche Neville deaf school when he was 15 to join a football academy, where he also completed B-tecs in English, Maths and Geography. After graduating from the academy, Matthew played for a semi-pro side for a while but found it difficult as he was so young and felt alone because he couldn’t hear anyone else, so in 2002 he joined deaf football club St John Arsenal DFC. He now captains the side as well as playing for the Great Britain deaf football team.
In his football career, Matthew has won a deaf national cup, holds the record for scoring three hat tricks in a row for his club, and was in the Great British team in the 2009 Deaflympics in Taiwan.
Matthew’s sporting hero is George Best, a player he has idolised, alongside Pele, since he was young, and has had the opportunity to meet.
Rani Price
Rani Price is the well-known co-presenter of the CBBC wildlife show ROAR and is also part of the BBC Daytime team where she co-hosts To Buy or Not To Buy, the long running property show. She is currently recording a new series for both programmes. Rani was also previously the co-host of CBBC’s popular entertainment show Best of Friends.
Last summer Rani hosted a series of children’s classical concerts for BBC Radio 3; the culmination of the BBC Singers – Go Sing! Learning Project. Previously, as part of the on-air CBBC presentation team, she made regular appearances on BBC1, BBC2 and the CBBC channel. Rani also recorded commentary for Wild Tales, an animal show for CBBC/CBeebies.
Rani has also appeared on Celebrity Masterchef and (as a committed vegetarian!) was involved in the BBC3 series Kill It Cook It Eat It, which investigated the pros and cons of eating meat. Other credits include appearances for the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Five, Space, an interactive magazine-style show, and numerous interview slots with guests as diverse as Chris Eubank and Justin Timberlake.
The youngest of five children, Rani was born in Liverpool to Indian parents. Her distinct Liverpudlian accent is in high demand for voice-overs. In fact Rani would love to be the voice of an animated character! So if you’re reading this…
With a keen interest in psychology, Rani holds a degree in Social Sciences. After leaving university she toured the northwest with “Theatre in Education” shows for schools. When not touring, she also ran drama and confidence workshops for young people.
Jeffrey Lawal-Balogun
Jeffrey was first spotted as a promising athlete when, at 19, he was running for a bus.
He was encouraged to join a club to develop his natural talent and since then has gone from strength to strength. Now, at just 23, Jeffrey is competing at an international level.
Jeffrey is currently ranked 10th in GB for the 100m – an improvement of 27 places from last season. He knocked 0.5 seconds off his best time this year. He is currently ranked No 2 in GB for the 200m – an improvement of 4 places from last season. He also improved his personal best by 0.5 of a second in this event too. Since his win at the Resisprint International in Switzerland last June, Jeffrey can now claim the title of 12th fastest all time GB athlete for 200m.
Since November 2009, Jeffrey has been involved for the first time in warm weather winter training which took place in South Africa in January 2010. He has since been competing on the indoor circuit as part of his training programme, which is geared towards his outdoor season 200m event.
The indoor programme commenced at the Vienna International in January where he finished 3rd. He then travelled back to the UK for the Birmingham Indoor Games where he finished 4th. In the national trial for the Indoor World Championships he came 6th and at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix he came 7th.
Jeffrey is already carving out a name for himself and has also now been selected for the 4 × 100m Relay Training Squad for 2010. “The ultimate goal has to be the Olympics. To win a medal would be the best feeling ever. I just wish I’d started earlier.” He added: “I never thought running after a bus would lead to all this. And the funny thing is, I missed it.”