Badminton ace Ethan Rose is gunning for glory and preparing in the perfect way possible – by learning from two former champions.
Rose, 18, was one of five young athletes to be hand-picked to take part in a special Zoom mentoring session with former Paralympic gold medallist Danny Crates and four-time Olympian Donna Fraser.
The in-depth, 90-minute session was set up by Entain and SportsAid – who financially support Rose’s journey – with former training partners Fraser and Crates now forming a dynamic duo delivering expert advice.
All five athletes were given the chance to ask a range of questions covering topics such as setbacks, preparation and training and Rose, the world No.4 at Under-19 level, said: “When you hear someone of that calibre and what they've done in that sport, when they have been through a similar thing, then there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to do as well.
“You get another perspective from other people in other sports and the things they have to go through.
“Danny and Donna have such a great understanding and insight into all the other different things they might have gone through that might relate to you, how you can overcome those situations and things that you might need to be doing better to actually help with achieving at the highest level.”
Rose’s badminton career is fuelled by Entain – owner of Ladbrokes and Coral – and SportsAid’s partnership that helps her access funding for training, travel and equipment.
And he was joined on the Zoom mentoring session by fellow aspiring athletes Craig Allen, Heather Hughes, Matthew Mackay and Kirsty Taylor, who are also supported by Entain and SportsAid’s innovative partnership.
Rose has racked up a whopping nine national titles and currently stands tall as the county’s No.1 at age-group level.
He revelled in absorbing Crates and Fraser’s eminent insight and Crates, who soared to 800m Paralympic glory at Athens 2004, said: "Your whole careers are in front of you and your eyes are wide open to the potential of your futures.
“You don't know what's coming yet or what’s out there for you - you just know what you want, and I just love that."
Former sprinter Fraser, who competed at four Olympic Games and bagged a pair of World Championship bronze medals, added: "It's always a pleasure to share our journey and learnings with the next generation of talent.
“Hopefully all the athletes who joined the call found that fruitful.
"I'm really all for supporting the next generation, encouraging them not to make the same mistakes that I made and supporting them on their journey."
Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, is proud to be championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Visit entaingroup.com to find out more
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