Oarsome Peter sculls his way to academic success

17 Jul 2017

How our international rower combined sport with study to graduate

Peter Zelinka, who last year was part of the first ever Slovak crew to take part in a world rowing championships final, will be awarded a BSc in Management at the Alliance Manchester Business School today. 

The recipient of a coveted University of Manchester Overseas Sports Scholarship, who is currently training in the Slovak Republic, came, together with his partner, sixth in the World Rowing Under 23 Championships and also second at FISU World University Championships last year. 

He has his eye on an 2020 Olympic place in the Lightweight Double Sculls - if the training goes well. 

He said: “I wanted to study abroad at a centre of excellence as I want to make sure I have a good career after I retire from rowing. 

“And as my cousin and brother both study at the University of Manchester, it was the obvious choice for me.” 

Peter received physio, strength and conditioning coaching and financial support thanks to his sports scholarship. 

He successfully combined a gruelling 7 days-a-week training regime with his studies, starting at 6:20am in up to 12 sessions a week. 

He added: “It was a bit of work, but I was able to tailor my training with my studies so in the end it was relatively easy to combine both. 

“I was really nervous when I started in terms of transitioning from living in Slovakia to the UK, but the sports department were fantastic and my worries quickly went.

“I really enjoyed my time at Manchester. It was a great place to study and train.”