BSc Biomedical Science student and 10-metre platform diver Tia was working full-time on placement in the haematology department at Sheffield Children’s Hospital when the pandemic struck. She has recently won the Most Committed Athlete Award at the Talented Athlete Star Awards 2020 for her achievements in sport and study, and trains regularly with Sheffield Diving.

Tia is the reigning gold medal champion on the women’s 10-metre platform after her first time competing for Team GB in a senior international event in Ukraine, and more recently placing 4th at the British Diving National Championships 2019.

‘I was not expecting it at all. To even be recognised and nominated for this award was an achievement for me, and to win it was such an incredible feeling. 

‘Over the past few years my sporting career has peaked massively, alongside this I have either been attending university full-time, working as a coach or working full-time, so at times it has been especially challenging. Winning makes it all so worthwhile, and I am incredibly grateful.’

The pandemic has put a strain on both Tia’s placement and studies as well as her diving career, but staff at Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield’s Children Hospital have supported her every step of the way.

‘Unfortunately I was unable to attend placement for four and a half months due to high risks within the hospital.

‘When I returned at the end of July all the staff within the lab were super supportive and helped me with catching up with my Health and Care Professions Council registration portfolio and made me feel like part of the team.’

The Biosciences and Chemistry department have always been flexible to Tia’s training needs and she was allocated a placement adviser to help her manage her workload and make the most of the experience.

‘My placement adviser made sure to keep in touch frequently for a chat, checking I was healthy, and to make sure I was happy with the workload which really helped me in such a difficult year.’

Tia had been out of the pool since the start of the first lockdown due to her weekday placement working hours and the temporary closure of Ponds Forge.

The international sports centre was set to reopen after a local campaign encouraged further council funding, but this has since been halted by the new national lockdown restrictions.

‘This has been super demotivating for me as I haven’t seen my teammates or my coach for over seven weeks now, and although diving is such an individualised sport, we are one big family.’

‘I was hoping everything would go to plan. It would have been amazing for me to get back into the water again and reach some form of normality during such a crazy time.’

Tia is looking forward to her final year of study and is hoping to gain a role as a registered biomedical scientist in a hospital setting alongside a full-time training career, aiming to fulfil all her goals she has set out as a promising young athlete.