Meet Cheyanne, One of our SportsAid Athletes
“I feel overwhelmed and am really grateful for the support from Entain and SportsAid. I’m in training to compete at the Olympics and hopefully win gold in the future!"
By day, she works in one of our Ladbrokes shops in South London, UK. By night, she’s a University of East London student and Croydon Harriers sprinter. And she’s just become one of the latest young athletes to get our backing through our sponsorship of SportsAid.
Help for the next generation of athletes
Launched just over a year ago, with the support of Paralympian Baroness Grey-Thompson, our partnership with SportsAid helps 50 young athletes across the UK each year to realise their potential. Athletes get funding for training, travel and equipment, as well as mentoring by Olympians and Paralympians on topics such as nutrition and sports psychology.
Grainne Hurst, Group Director of Corporate Affairs, said, “In a world where local and grassroots sports are under increasing financial pressure, our collaboration with SportsAid plays a pivotal role in supporting the next generation of British sporting heroes. We’re thrilled to back Cheyanne, one of our own Entain colleagues. She’s shown huge promise as a talented young athlete, and we’re delighted to support her quest for sprinting glory.”
A very impressive track record
Earlier this year, Cheyanne clinched a gold in the 60m at the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Indoor Championships in Sheffield, setting a new BUCS record of 7.28 seconds in the process. She’s now ranked 1st in the UK for the 60m (U23 age category), 2nd out of all the age groups and 12th in the UK for the 100m (U23 age category). She’s got her sights set firmly on representing Great Britain in the 100m in the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.
Area Manager turns talent scout
Recognising her amazing talent and potential, Neil Morris, Lead Area Manager, contacted Sophie Dean, Head of Safer Gambling & External Affairs, to see if we could help. Neil commented, “When Cheyanne told me she was pleased the Olympics had been delayed, giving her more time to secure a place in the team, I knew she was hugely ambitious and very committed. I was delighted when Sophie said we’d support Cheyanne throughout our SportsAid partnership. We’re all so excited for her and couldn’t wait to share the news.”
A surprise shop visit
Neil arranged to meet Cheyanne at her Coral shop, setting up a surprise visit by Simon Clare, Director of Consumer PR, to let Cheyanne know the news.
Simon says, “Thanks to Neil we pulled off the surprise. It was like one of those reality TV moments! It was a huge privilege to meet Cheyanne. She’s very impressive and inspirational. I’m so pleased that we’re supporting her and can’t wait to see what she might do.”
Joanne Moran, Retail Operations Director, also called to congratulate Cheyanne on such a well-deserved reward, “Cheyanne is very committed. She balances her training with her role with us and her university life. I don’t know how she does it! Having such a talented young athlete in our Retail team is so exciting. We’ll be watching her progress with interest over the coming months.”
A message of thanks from Cheyanne
Cheyanne told us, “I feel overwhelmed and am really grateful for the support from Entain and SportsAid. I’m in training to compete at the Olympics and hopefully win gold in the future! This funding means that I can afford more training and it’ll give me a helping hand to buy some new kit. The mentoring programme will mean so much to me too. Thank you.”
Following in the footsteps of sporting legends
Since 1976, SportsAid has helped many of the biggest sporting household names during the early stages of their careers, long before they became famous. Cheyanne and our other young athletes are following in the footsteps of legendary athletes such as Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Sir Mo Farah.
Tim Lawler, SportsAid Chief Executive, commented ”Recognising and encouraging the next generation of athletes to develop their potential has arguably never been more important. We’re thrilled to see our partnership with Entain going from strength to strength and we’re excited for Cheyanne and the other young athletes.”
Watch her find out the news here!
