AN OXFORD student is celebrating becoming a British junior champion, and has her eyes set on the Winter Olympics in four years.
Wolsey Hall Oxford student Phebe Bekker and her ice skating partner James Hernandez won their first British title in the ‘ice dance’ at the British Figure Skating Championships, held in Sheffield.
Sixteen-year-old Phebe, who was raised in Surrey, and Buckinghamshire-born James only announced their ice dancing partnership in January 2021.
Since then, they have been training in the US, before competing in Slovenia and Poland.
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Phebe said: “After such a relatively short time together, we are delighted to win our first British title.
“We’re now back in America to continue training for the second half of the season.
“We are so excited to be competing in the 2022 Junior World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, in mid-March.
“To be selected to go to junior worlds this year has been such a privilege and to deliver two clean performances to be proud of is a big goal for us.”
Last month, Phebe and James took part in the British Championships, where they received first place for their short program, as well as their free skating.
The pair then skated off with first place overall with a score of 148.03.
Phebe has now set herself the goal of competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
She said: “After that [Junior World Championships], we hope to compete in the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.
“Despite being a full-time athlete, I also want to ensure I receive a high-quality education.
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“All this has been made possible by combining my long hours on the ice with the flexible homeschooling system available through Wolsey Hall.
“Last summer I received my GCSE results and to say I was pleased is an understatement.
“The two grades I was most proud of was my 9 in English Language and my 8 in Psychology.
“Homeschooling has taught me so much more than I thought possible and has opened up so many incredible opportunities.
“It’s also given me a lot of independence which I love more than anything.”
Wolsey Hall was founded in 1894, providing home study and courses to students in more than 120 countries.
Nelson Mandela studied through Wolsey Hall for his London University Law degree, while at Robben Island prison in South Africa.
In 2012, Wolsey Hall launched online A level courses, with fees reaching £875.
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