North East and Yorkshire Athletes to Watch at Paris 2024
From old pros to fresh new faces, these are the athletes doing the North East and Yorkshire proud at the Olympics
Kate Waugh
Living North meet Kate Waugh, a triathlete from Newcastle who has been hitting her stride on an international level.
Ordinarily Kate would be two sessions down and gearing up for her final training block of the day at this point mid afternoon but she spoke to us from a ‘rest day’ (she only had one session in the pool that morning) in Monte Gordo, Portugal, where she will be training until May before heading to the Pyrenees to train at altitude.
On an average day she would expect to dive into the water at around 8am until about 9.30am. Her next session is either a midday cycle or run. ’On a bike day it’s two and a half to three hours, which might include some hill reps on the bike,’ she says. ‘Then, at 5pm, it’s back out again. Maybe “just an easy run” this time.’ Kate then has dinner, gets to bed early, and repeats.
Hamish Turnbull
The 25-year-old track cyclist originally hails from Morpeth and landed a position in the GB squad aged only 14. His breakout debut was at the 2022 Commonwealth Games where he earned a silver medal, and he is also the youngest rider ever to hold a National Track Sprint title. He has also earned medals at European Championship and World Championship levels and at Paris you can watch him make his debut Olympic as part of the Men’s Sprint event.
Scott Lincoln
The Northallerton native made his first Olympic appearance at the delayed Tokyo games with an admirable performance in the Men’s Shot Put. Dominating the sport in the UK for the past decade, Paris will be Scott’s second attempt at a medal and since Tokyo he has successfully achieved bronze medals at both the Commonwealth Games in 2022 and at the 2023 European Games.
Kieran Reilly
A Geordie lad through and through, Gateshead local Kieran first learned how to cycle at his local skatepark. At the beginning of 2022, Kieran burst onto the scene of BMX by becoming the first rider to land the dangerous triple flair (a move which includes three backflips), and has since achieved a world title. Catch what is sure to be an electrifying performance as part of the BMX Freestyle event.
Calli Hauger-Thackery
Ahead of Paris 2024, Living North catches up with Calli-Hauger Thackery, the athlete hoping to go the distance after securing her spot with her first-ever marathon run.
Calli’s family has history when it comes to running. ‘My dad was a professional runner, and he represented Great Britain in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but I got into it on a typical sports day,’ she says. ‘My tutors let me know I was really good at running and should definitely join a club. My mum never wanted to push me into it because she didn’t want to put any pressure on me, but that week I joined a club and it went from there. I raced more and more, and got athletic scholarships to America, so ended up going out there to study and train. I was in New Mexico for four years and it was a great time; that’s where I began to take it all more seriously. When I got that scholarship, I realised I could actually be really good at this and it could be a career one day.’
Lois Toulson
Based in Leeds, Lois Toulson is a regular on the senior British Diving team after competing at every level of international competition, including the Olympic Games and two World Championships – one of which brought her a silver medal in the Mixed 10m Synchro event in 2023. She has also competed in the finals of the last two Olympic Games in Tokyo and Rio. Lois is a specialist in the 10m platform and competes in the individual, synchronised and mixed synchronised categories, where she has accumulated 30 senior international medals since 2015.
Jack Laugher
With 13 gold, eight silver and six bronze medals across the major championships, Jack is the most decorated British diver of all time and a multiple Olympian. He and diving partner Chris Mears became Britain's first diving Olympic champions by winning a gold medal in the men's synchronised three metre springboard event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. A week later, Jack won a silver in the men's individual three metre springboard, becoming the first British diver to win multiple Olympic diving medals at the same Games.
Born in Harrogate, Jack attended Ripon Grammar School and became interested in diving at age seven during a family visit to Harrogate Hydro Swimming Pool. A lifeguard advised him to go for diving lessons and he began to learn at the local diving club at the Hydro, and now trains at the John Charles Centre for Sport in Leeds.
Caden Cunningham
A native of Huddersfield, Caden may only be 20 years old but he is already making waves in the world of taekwondo, with his sights set firmly on Olympic gold. He has already shown himself to be a formidable competitor, winning gold at the European Games 2023 and again at the 2023 World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Rome.
Caden took up the sport at a young age when he attended a class with his friend after school. He went on to compete as a junior athlete for a number of years on before joining the national team, now competing in the +80kg weight category.
Tom Pidcock
The mountain biking star from Leeds has made an excellent comeback after breaking his collarbone, hopping back in the saddle after only six days. Over the years, Tom has earned World, European and National junior titles, as well as achieving the Under-23 World Cup title and gold at the Tokyo Games.
Tom followed Tokyo up with a win at the World Cyclo-Cross Championships in 2022 and has his sights set firmly on another Olympic gold.
