2024-07-30
28 分钟It's summer - no really - and although the weather might have been mixed, the sporting line-up has been undeniably scorching - from the back-and-forth of Wimbledon, to the nail-biting Euros, to the current pageantry of the Summer Olympics. Next month the 2024 Paralympic Games get underway in Paris, involving the world’s very best para athletes; and Professor Vicky Tolfrey is at the forefront of the science that makes their sporting dreams a reality. Vicky is the Director of the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport at Loughborough University, a hub for elite para-sport research. She’s worked with stars from the worlds of wheelchair athletics, basketball, rugby and tennis, amongst others – and in 2017, became the first European recipient of the International Paralympic Committee’s prestigious Scientific Award. She tells Professor Jim Al-Khalili about her work with elite para athletes, her experiences at major international sporting events, and her childhood dreams of becoming an Olympian herself. Presented by Jim Al-Khalili Produced by Lucy Taylor
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Hello, and welcome to the podcast edition of the Life Scientific.
I'm Jamal Khalili and this is the show where I get to talk with some of the world's leading scientists and you get to find out what drives them.
So sit back, get comfortable and enjoy the episode.
So the summer is here, and even if we're not guaranteed good weather over these middle months, one thing we can be assured of is a scorching run of sporting events.
In tennis, we've had the back and forth of Wimbledon.
Football fans have bitten their nails to the quick following the Euros.
And right now, millions of us are enjoying the pageantry and variety of the Summer Olympics in Paris.
And, of course, it's not over yet.
Next month, the 2024 Paralympic Games get underway, showcasing the incredible mental and physical fortitude of the world's very best para athletes.
My guest today is at the forefront of the science that makes their sporting dreams a reality.
Vicky Tolfrey is the director of the Peter Harrison Centre for Disability Sport at Loughborough University, a hub for elite parasport research.
She's worked with sporting stars from the worlds of wheelchair athletics, basketball, rugby and tennis, amongst others.
And in 2017, she was the first European recipient of the International Paralympic Committee's prestigious scientific award.
She says sport is so powerful for social connections as well as health benefits.
Even if someone doesn't become a world champion, if I helped them to embrace sport as part of their lifestyle, that in itself is the reward.
Professor Vicki Tolfrey, welcome to the Life Scientific.
Thank you very much.
It's a pleasure to be here.
You've been going to the Paralympic games, Vicky, since 1996, so I imagine you're itching to get out to Paris next month.