One of Reading’s most promising young athletes is set to receive a fundraising boost thanks to an exciting new partnership between legal and professional services group, Gateley and SportsAid.
Triathlete, Katie Rodda (19), who has quickly risen through the ranks since first discovering the multi-sport, is to receive funding towards travel, accommodation and equipment, as well as access to online workshop support and personal development opportunities.
Having competed in the Junior Super League Triathlon in 2018 and finished eighth at the ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup in Riga, Latvia, in 2019, the University of Leeds student is hard at work behind the scenes preparing for her step up to the senior ranks next year.
Whilst she was denied the opportunity to challenge on the main stage in 2020, there were some positives for the second-year medical sciences student, who is the daughter of Reading East Labour MP Matt Rodda.
Rodda’s training sessions with 2017 European gold medallist Jess Learmonth has inspired her to keep working hard and her brother continues to be her biggest influence. Both are members of Reading Athletic Club.
She said: “Before SportsAid, my parents pretty much funded me completely as well as taking me to all of the training camps and races, so I owe them a huge amount.
“The funding from Gateley will help me buy a new training bike. I’ve had the one I’ve got now since I started the sport, and I think it would be more expensive to pay for that one to be serviced because of the condition it’s in.
“There’s definitely a big boost to your confidence when you’re chosen for funding, especially in the uncertain times we’re in, because it shows that people still have faith in you. Knowing you’re associated with some of the biggest names in British sport is really motivating, and hopefully I can go on and add my name to such an illustrious list.”
Andrew Peddie, partner and head of Gateley’s Reading office, said: “It gives us great pleasure to support Katie. She is an inspiration to so many people and we are thrilled to give her this well-deserved boost.
“At Gateley, not only do we advise clients across an extensive range of sports, we also place a great emphasis on helping our own people succeed with their physical and mental well-being. Katie has the ambition, work ethic and desire to succeed; values that align perfectly with our own business.”
SportsAid supports over 1,000 athletes each year – the vast majority aged between 12 to 18. The award they receive acts as a real motivational boost as it is often the first recognition they are given outside of their support network. These athletes are the country’s brightest sporting prospects. They are nominated to SportsAid by the governing bodies of more than 60 sports based on set criteria.
Since 1976, SportsAid has supported tens of thousands of athletes by distributing over £50 million in awards. The charity's extensive alumni stretch across the generations with Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Sir Mo Farah, Baroness Grey-Thompson, Dame Sarah Storey, Sir Steve Redgrave, Dame Katherine Grainger, Daley Thompson CBE and Denise Lewis OBE all stand-out names.