This week, as world records crumble at swimming's World Championships in Rome, Gemma Spofforth took home a gold medal and a world record in the 100 meter backstroke (today she is competing in the 200 backstroke). While her swimming accomplishments are certainly exciting - her story is also interesting because she, like 100,000s of other athletes, was a beRecruited user. The 21 year-old is from Portsmouth, UK and used beRecruited to find an athletic scholarship. It is another example of how beRecruited is helping athletes of all abilities and all geographies connect with coaches, athletic programs and scholarships:
After going on the website, berecruited.com, which offers scholarships to American universities, Gemma had to choose between going to university in either Florida or Hawaii.
She picked the University of Florida and flew out to America in 2006 to take up her place in the competitive swim programme there.
Gemma will soon begin her fourth and final year at the university, but is expected to remain across the Atlantic after she graduates as she focuses on getting ready for the Olympics in 2012.
You can read more about Gemma Spofforth in today's Portsmouth News And you can watch her world record-setting performance on YouTube.
