Loughborough University Notable Alumni

Sebastian Coe is a politician and former athlete who represented Great Britain in two Olympic events. He won four Olympic medals including two gold medals as a middle-distance runner. In 2012, he was inducted into the IAAF Hall of Fame. The same year, Coe was honored at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Paula Radcliffe is a retired distance runner, credited with winning the London Marathon and the New York Marathon three times each. Born into an athletic family, she emerged as a running talent by the time she was in her teens, winning the world junior cross-country title at the age of nineteen, eventually. She held the Women's World Marathon Record from 2003 to 2019.

Winner of 16 Paralympic medals, including 11 golds, Tanni Grey-Thompson is a former wheelchair racer, who won the London Marathon six times and held more than 30 world records. Also a successful television personality and patron of numerous charities, she was created a Life Peer in 2010 and made Baroness Grey-Thompson of Eaglescliffe in Stockton-On-Tees.

Known for the enthusiasm and energy with which he would throw himself at his opponents for saving goals, Scottish goalkeeper Bob Wilson became a star during his 11-year stint as an Arsenal player. He later became a coach and an analyst. Following his daughter’s death due to cancer, he launched an emotional-support charity.

Dan Evans is a British tennis player who helped Great Britain win the Davis Cup in 2015. The team was honored with the BBC Sports Personality Team of the Year Award in 2015. Over the years, Evans' off-court behavior has made him one of the most controversial players.

English rugby player Ben Kay is known for his 62-cap win for England from 2001 to 2009. He also had an 11-year stint with the Leicester Tigers. Born to Lord Justice of Appeal Sir John William Kay, he earned the nickname "M'lud." Post-retirement, he has been an ESPN commentator.

British YouTuber Will Lenney, has shot to fame with his channel WillNE, where he posts commentaries, practical jokes, and reactions. He once fooled UK tabloids into believing he would appear on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, by spreading a rumor. He has collaborated with YouTubers such as Memeulous.

Dario Gradi is an Italian-English former amateur football player turned coach and manager. He began his career playing as an amateur for several clubs before turning a coach cum manager. He was associated with Crewe Alexandra for more than 36 years in various capacities as a coach, manager, and director of football. He won the PFA Merit Award in 2004. 

Steve Matchett is a British sports commentator who works for popular television networks like Fox Sports. He is best known for his expertise in racing events, such as Formula One. From 1996 to 2008, Steve Matchett was a columnist and regular contributor to F1 Racing magazine. From 1998 to 2008, he served as the magazine's Technical Editor.

British-Australian physicist and engineer Derek Abbott also teaches at the University of Adelaide. He has been associated with many scientific journals and has also been featured in publications such as The New York Times. Abbott also worked on the baffling Somerton Man case, which remains unsolved to this day.

Sports producer Barbara Slater is also a former gymnast and Olympian. Born into a family with a footballer father and a cricketer uncle, she was destined to step into sports. She now heads BBC Sport as its director. She is also a talented diver and squash player.

Apart from winning a Commonwealth Games gold, middle-distance runner Lisa Dobriskey also has a World Championship silver in her kitty. Before the London 2012 games, she recovered from severe blood clots in her lungs. In her Olympic debut in Beijing in 2008, she finished fourth, missing a medal narrowly.

Triathlete, Olympian, and former swimmer Jodie Swallow is a two-time ITU Long Distance World Champion. She once moved to Switzerland to train to gain a place in the 2012 London Olympics. Though she likes mountain biking for training, she calls herself a homebody and often spends her days relaxing at home.

Born in Greece, Chrisanthi Avgerou later pursued her studies and research work in information systems in England. The LSE alumna is now a professor at the same institute. She is known for her research on the role of ICT in bringing about organizational change and socio-economic development.