Two of Team England’s gold medallists from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Jess Fullagar and Georgia Taylor-Brown, have had ‘Golden Gateway’ plaques installed at the Brownlee Centre in Leeds to celebrate the role the venue has played in their respective sporting journeys.
Launched off the back of Team England’s most successful Commonwealth Games to date, ‘Golden Gateways’ is a legacy-leaving initiative that celebrates the host nation’s gold medal-winning athletes by installing golden plaques at sporting venues across the country.
Fullagar and Taylor-Brown, both triathletes, chose the Brownlee Centre having both trained at the venue. Named after Alistair and Jonny Brownlee, two of the most successful triathletes of their time, is the UK’s first purpose-built triathlon training centre and is the permanent home for the world leading Leeds Triathlon Centre.
John Steele, Chair of Commonwealth Games England, said: “The Golden Gateway campaign is our way of celebrating the success of Team England’s athletes while also paying tribute to sports venues across the country. From leisure centres and schools to sports clubs and gyms, we want to recognise the role that these sporting institutions and locations play in helping people across the nation fall in love with sport.
“We are immensely proud of all of the Team England athletes that have passed through these ‘Golden Gateway’ venues on their way to medal success at the Games; their legacy will inspire many more sportspeople of the future.”
Stewart Ross, Chair of Triathlon Leeds, said: “We are very proud to celebrate the success of our Commonwealth Games athletes and are honoured to be nominated as a Golden Gateway by Jess and Georgia.
“Leeds is genuinely a world class centre for the sport, leading the way for triathlon training and development through our combination of expertise, top athletes and top facilities.
“What makes Leeds so unique is the commitment from different organisations to work together across all levels of the sport to provide opportunities for everyone, recognising the positive health and social impacts of triathlon and the inspiration our world class athletes have on the Leeds communities.”
“We hope that Jess and Georgia’s legacy will inspire many sportspeople of the future who use our world-class facilities at the Brownlee Centre”.