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9 September 2019

One of our gas engineers achieves world glory

Our gas engineer Steve Jarvis has claimed five gold medals and broken three world records at the World Transplant Games in Newcastle.
Steve Jarvis

Steve, who runs for Newquay and Par Athletic Club, excelled as he competed at the Games for the fourth time.

The 44-year-old smashed his own world record in the 400m, clocking a time of 55.21 after setting a previous best of 57.70.

Steve went on to clinch gold medals in the 100m and 200m as well as breaking the world record for the high jump thanks to a leap of 1.65m. He also secured a silver medal in the long jump.

Elsewhere, he scooped gold and helped set a new world record in the 4x400m relay and was part of the triumphant 4x100m team.

His impressive medal haul earned himself the trophy for the best athlete at the Games, which were held in Britain for the first time since 1979.

Steve beamed: “I was over the moon and it hasn’t really sunk in yet.

“My main focus was the 400m because I knew I had it in me to break the world record. But I was stunned when I shaved more than two seconds off it.

“All my friends and family were there to watch and it was a proud moment for me.”

Steve started his sporting career by becoming British judo collegiate champion at the age of 19.

He was on the reserve list to compete in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney when he cut his finger and developed septicemia which affected his kidneys.

Steve underwent surgery to save his life and he was forced to retire from judo.

Determined to continue competing at an elite level, Steve switched to athletics and trained rigorously in order to fulfill his potential.

Steve added: “It was a terrible time for me. I went from dreaming about the Olympics to being on the operating table at the hospital.

“It took a while to get my head around retiring from judo, but I still wanted to prove something to myself and show I was capable of doing something special in sports still.

“I knew had a talent for running and one thing led to another and here I am now.

“It has been quite a journey and I don’t regret anything.”

Steve says none of his achievements would have been possible without the support of his family.

His son, Rory, 23, is about to join the Royal Marines, his daughter, Kallie, will qualify as a nurse in 12 months’ time, while wife Jodie regularly competes as an ultra-runner.

Steve said: “We have both got our own training schedules and only really meet when Jodie runs a short distance and I run a long distance.

“It takes a lot of commitment and dedication doing what I do and my family is fully behind me.

“I get up at 6am every morning and normally do a gym session or some hill sprints.

“And then I am back out there from 6.30pm until 9.30pm in the evening. I am battling against age so I need to train intensively to be able to compete.”

Steve also competes for the British Masters team and has his sights set on next year’s Indoor European Championships in Dublin and the World Championships in Toronto in 2021.

Steve admitted: “Maybe it will be time to retire after those two events. We will have to wait and see.”

Our gas supervisor, Paul Hutchins, who is Steve’s line manager at LiveWest, proudly commented: “Steve is an unsung hero and a great role model.

“He will never really talk about his accomplishments unless someone asks him. He mentioned it in passing that he got a few gold medals and broken a few world records. A truly amazing achievement.

“He goes above and beyond in everything he does and I can’t be more thrilled on behalf of LiveWest for what he has achieved.”