Speedster six years late
Dec 9 2008 by Dan Warburton, The Journal
OLYMPIC gold medallist Victoria Pendleton made amends for missing her graduation yesterday as she collected an honorary doctorate.
Victoria, who was a member of Team Northumbria’s elite athlete programme during her time as a student, received a 2:1 in sport exercise from the university six years ago.
The world and Olympic sprint cycling champion missed her graduation in 2002 because she was competing in the European Championships.
But yesterday she joined Paralympian Stephen Miller as the pair were presented with the honorary doctorate of civil law by Northumbria University.
She said: “I missed my graduation the first time round because I had an important event that I couldn’t miss.
“But it’s nice to come back and wear the gown and have the experience that I missed. It’s an important part of many students’ life, and now at least I have the photo so I can put it in my house.”
Victoria and Stephen were joined at the ceremony by hundreds of students who were receiving their degrees. The ceremony at Newcastle City Hall was designed to recognise the achievements of the two Northumbria graduates.
Earlier this year, at the Beijing Olympics, Victoria clinched a gold medal in the Women’s Individual Sprint Event.
Three-times Paralympic gold medallist Stephen, who added a silver medal to his trophy haul in the summer, said: “I never thought I would be coming back, but it’s nice to get an award without doing any of the work.
“When I left university I had already been to two Paralympic Games, so I was already doing quite well. The Games this year were fantastic. I didn’t win anything in Beijing, but it was possibly the most special year because we are not used to competing in such packed stadiums.
“The experience was absolutely amazing. From here, though, I just want to get my world record back because I lost it in the summer.”
Honorary degrees were also handed to Dr Angela Gallop, one of the country’s top forensic scientists, and Andrew Dixon, chief executive of Newcastle Gateshead Initiative and Tourism Tyne and Wear.
Professor Andrew Wathey, vice-chancellor and chief executive of Northumbria University, said: “This was a great opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our graduates.”
