Priory Group Sponsors Staff Psychiatrist in Pursuit of Olympic Dream
Priory Group, the UK's leading independent provider of mental healthcare, is sponsoring Olympic hopeful Doctor Tamsin Lewis, who has put her medical career on hold to follow her dreams of becoming a triathlon contender in the London 2012 games.
Psychiatry Registrar Tamsin, 30, has left her post at the Priory's Roehampton Hospital in London to train full-time for the Olympic selection process, which takes place later this year.
Her move into the enduring triathlon training environment is worlds apart from her previous role in medicine, where she is more used to dealing with patients suffering with mental health and addiction issues.
Tamsin, who had been a successful runner in her University days, began her dalliance into the triathlon world around three years ago when she started training in her spare time.
She has since won the Hyde Park triathlon by over nine minutes, and is World Triathlon Champion in her age category, beating hundreds of entrants at an event on the Australian Gold Coast.
Tamsin has always had a zeal for the sporting world, thanks to her father, former 60's Olympian and Tour De France cyclist, Colin Lewis.
This enthusiasm has enabled her to combine her medical shifts with over twenty hours of triathlon training per week in order to perfect her swimming, cycling, and running abilities.
Her medical and sporting lifestyle has also had a positive effect on patients at Roehampton, as Tamsin has been putting her passion into studying further links between fitness and mental health.
Tamsin will move into the sport professionally with sponsorship from the Priory Group, who will be helping to cover some of the training costs involved.
Tamsin said: "This has been a massive step for me; I have trained in the medical field for over ten years and have enjoyed my time as a Psychiatrist immensely.
"When I started training for triathlons and winning races, I realised that I could become a serious contender in the sport, but if I was going to follow my dreams, I would have to give it 100% of my time and commitment.
"I am not saying that I won't return to medicine in the future, and I will certainly be studying the links between sport and mental health further, but in order to consider the Olympic selection process, I need to train full-time and in countries around the world.
"My friends and family have been really supportive, and I'm really looking forward to the future, but most of all, I am so grateful to the Priory Group for all the support they have given me."
Chief Executive of the Priory Group, Philip Scott, said: "We wish Tamsin the best of luck; she has taken a massive step in pursuing her sporting dreams. We are very pleased to be supporting her and wish her well with her training programme which hopefully will lead to Olympic selection.
I have no doubt that she will succeed in her sporting ambitions."
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