Ria Thompson

I have always loved studying and training concurrently and whilst balancing them has been challenging at times, I have learnt invaluable time management and organisational skills and the importance of prioritising and asking for help. The AIS Education Scholarship will help me in balancing my studies and taking the first steps in preparing for my post-athletic career as a doctor, whilst also training for my goal of becoming a dual Olympian. The skills required to be a high-performance athlete complement my studies and will one day be very important to my career in medicine. In the future, I hope to bring my knowledge as a doctor into the sporting sphere and help athletes to be at their peak mental and physical health and fitness, so as to perform their best. I believe that having past experience as an elite athlete will give me greater empathy and understanding of the problems future athletes may have.