USW student takes coaching expertise to Commonwealth Games

A University of South Wales (USW) student will play a key role in Team Wales' Commonwealth Games campaign this summer as an endurance coach for the nation's track cycling team.

Rob Partridge, who is studying an MSc in Performance Sport and Coaching while working full-time for Beicio Cymru, will travel to Glasgow as part of Team Wales' coaching staff, where he will oversee 10 endurance athletes competing across a range of track cycling disciplines.

Rob has been preparing athletes for the Games since November, balancing the demands of elite sport with postgraduate study and family life.

"It's been almost like doing two jobs for 18 months," said Rob. "As well as preparing for the Commonwealth Games, I'm still running our junior development programme, so it's been incredibly busy. But once we get to the Games, all the preparation comes together and the focus becomes very clear."

Rob works with some of Wales' most promising cyclists, helping develop riders capable of progressing onto Great Britain programmes, World Championships and professional teams. Beicio Cymru has a strong record of producing elite talent, with more than a third of Great Britain's cycling squad at the Paris Olympics having come through Welsh development pathways.

A former competitive cyclist himself, Rob stepped into coaching after retiring from racing in 2017. He decided to return to education to complement his practical experience with academic knowledge.

"I'd always wanted to go back into formal education," he said. "I'd reached a point where I was working alongside highly educated people in elite sport, and while experience had taken me a long way, I wanted to understand the theory behind coaching and performance."

Now nearing the end of his MSc, Rob says the course has had a direct impact on his coaching practice.

"The course has made me think differently about how I coach, how I communicate and how I create high-performance environments," he said. "Modules like sports psychology and mentoring have genuinely changed the way I approach my work."

Rob credits the University's flexibility and understanding of the demands of elite sport with enabling him to balance study alongside an intense workload and family commitments, including welcoming his second child during his first year.

He said: "The lecturers at USW understand the realities of working in high-performance sport. They've supported me to keep learning while managing everything else that's going on."

For those considering postgraduate study while working in sport, Rob says the rewards outweigh the challenges.

"You get out of it what you put in," he said. "If you really want to develop yourself, there are so many knowledgeable people on the course, and so many opportunities to explore different aspects of coaching and performance. It has been challenging but I have no regrets.”