Six-time Paralympic gold medallist David Weir has formed a new partnership with sports science practitioners at the GSK Human Performance Lab in an effort to achieve even greater success.
David is a ten-time Paralympic medallist; he won four gold medals at London 2012 and jointly holds the record for most London Marathon wins with six to his name. Now the nominee for the 2012 Sports Personality of the Year is working with the GSK Human Performance Lab, a world class science facility with a focus on applied and discovery research created to deepen understanding of human performance. His work with the Lab will help identify what gives him his competitive edge and enhance his performance when he competes in the 2014 athletic season.
Other partners in performance who are working closely with the GSK Human Performance Lab include Ben Saunders who recently completed the Scott Expedition – the longest, unsupported polar journey on foot from the coast of Antarctica to the South pole and back in history. England Rugby Union Captain Chris Robshaw, Olympic Triathletes the Brownlee Brothers and, light-weight champion of the world, Amir Khan have also undergone tests at the lab.
In order to generate new scientific interventions, the GSK Human Performance Lab will initially focus on six core pillars of performance; strength, stamina, cognition, hydration, metabolism and recovery. A range of videos currently sit on the site which explain the importance of each pillar to elite human performance. This science will then be applied to improving the wellbeing of the general population, less well and elderly allowing them access to products that enable them to do more, feel better and live longer.