Celebrating the Ron Harrod Foundation 2026 Winners
Celebrating the Ron Harrod Foundation 2026 Winners
Six athletes. Six journeys. One shared drive to go further.
Every year, the Ron Harrod Foundation exists for one simple reason: to help talented young athletes keep moving forward - especially when the costs of training and competing at the highest level start to mount up.
For 2026, we’re proud to announce an outstanding group of winners whose stories span world records, international competition schedules, elite pathways and inspiring grassroots commitment. From the pool to the ring, the track to the slopes, and even a dual-sport route towards Olympic ambition - these athletes represent the very best of what local sport can produce when talent is backed with opportunity.
Here are the Ron Harrod Foundation 2026 winners.
William Ellard MBE – Para Swimming
World-class performances, world records, and a standard-setting season
If 2025 was about momentum, William Ellard MBE turned it into a statement. Already established as one of the leading names in para swimming, Will delivered a season of elite success on the biggest stage - showing exactly what it looks like when preparation meets pressure.
Key achievements (2025):
- 4x Gold Medals – World Championships (Singapore)
- 1x Bronze Medal – World Championships
- Individual World Record Holder
- Relay World Record Holder
- European Records (Short Course)
- British Records (Short Course)
Will’s dedication goes far beyond training sessions - he commits fully to the lifestyle and discipline required for peak performance. Just as importantly, he’s known as a genuine inspiration to other athletes, particularly young swimmers coming through the sport.
Looking ahead (2026): European Championships, Commonwealth Games, and a packed national/international calendar.
Will has also been a Ron Harrod Foundation recipient in 2024 and 2025, with funding helping to support the ongoing costs of elite competition - travel, training, and preparation. His engagement has been outstanding too, including visits to HQ and consistently providing high-quality content, making him a brilliant ambassador for both the Foundation and Harrod Sport.
Brooke Matthews – Boxing
Talent pathway progression and a relentless international schedule
Brooke Matthews is building something special. Still early in her journey, she’s already combining domestic success with international experience - and she continues to progress through the England Talent Pathway Programme, training alongside the best in the country.
Key achievements (2025):
- Ed Bilbey Box Cup Champion & multiple Box Cup gold medals
- Best Junior Female (Ed Bilbey Box Cup)
- Continued selection for the England Talent Pathway Programme
Her competition schedule says everything about her ambition. Brooke fought across the UK and internationally, including: Manchester, Bridlington, Lincolnshire, Torquay, Sweden, Edinburgh, Dublin, Monkstown, Edenderry, Swansea, Paris and San Francisco.
Brooke trains at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield with the England team, with additional sessions in London alongside professional fighters - exactly the kind of environment that accelerates development.
Looking ahead (2026):
International competitions in Sweden, Latvia, Switzerland and Ireland, UK competitions in London and Manchester, her first year in the England Youth Championships, an invited return to San Francisco, a possible selection opportunity in Las Vegas, and an invitation to attend the International Women’s Boxing Hall of Fame event (presented by Laila Ali).
We are delighted for Brooke to be a recipient for a second year and can't wait to hear about all her achievements in 2026.
Jessica Staines – Tennis
Balancing school, scholarship goals, and the drive to compete at the next level
For Jessica Staines, progress is built through consistency: turning up, putting in the work, and steadily raising her level through training and competition.
In 2025, Jess hit a major milestone by earning a tennis scholarship at Finborough School, alongside a place on the Sports Professionals Programme, a strong platform for continued progression.
Jess is described as hardworking and determined, and the Foundation support plays a clear role in what comes next: increasing competition access, supporting training and travel, and helping with the broader pathway towards long-term goals.
Funding impact:
- Supports increased access to national and international competitions
- Contributes to training, travel and equipment
- Assists with opportunities connected to securing a US university scholarship
Looking ahead (2026):
Jess will increase national and international competition, work to improve her UTR (Universal Tennis Rating), and continue progressing towards a US tennis scholarship, with an ongoing long-term ambition of pursuing a professional career.
Jess was also a Ron Harrod Foundation recipient in 2025, and we’re delighted to continue backing her journey.
Alecks Whyte – Sprinting (60m / 100m / 200m)
Four consecutive years of national qualification - and still building
In sprinting, improvement often comes in fractions. For Alecks Whyte, those fractions have added up to a consistently strong record across age groups, with national-level qualification year after year.
Highlights:
- Personal Bests: 60m – 7.07s | 100m – 11.0s | 200m – 22.55s
- Qualified for National Indoor & Outdoor Championships (U15, U17, U20) for four consecutive years
- Previously ranked 1st in the UK (U15 100m) and 5th in the UK (U17 200m)
- Norfolk Track Athlete of the Year (two consecutive years)
- Represented Norfolk at the English Schools Championships
Alecks competes across regional, county and national circuits, Southern and Eastern Championships, East Anglia League events, and more, building race experience and resilience at every stage.
Looking ahead (2026):
Indoor Nationals (Sheffield), targeting Outdoor Nationals (Birmingham), and aiming for selection again for the English Schools Championships.
This is a classic progression pathway story: talent + repetition + competition. We’re proud to support it.
Finn Owen – Snowboarding (Freestyle: Big Air & Slopestyle)
A rising freestyle athlete giving back to the sport that shaped him
Finn Owen is proof that big ambition can start locally. He’s been snowboarding since age nine at Trowse dry slope in Norwich, and through consistent commitment he has progressed into the Snowsport England Freestyle pathway.
Key progression points:
- Selected for the Snowsport England Freestyle B Squad
- Recognised as an athlete with Team GB pathway potential
- Invited to a specialist freestyle training camp in Austria
- Competes in Big Air, with additional slopestyle experience
But what makes Finn’s story even more powerful is what he does off the “competition run.” Finn volunteers weekly at the Norwich dry slope, helping coach and inspire younger riders, giving back to the grassroots community that helped him begin.
Looking ahead (2026):
Continued progression within the programme, increased access to international training, and the long-term ambition to represent Team GB.
Finn’s blend of high-performance potential and local leadership makes him a standout Foundation winner.
Isabelle Mardelle – Athletics / Skeleton
Resilience, reinvention, and an Olympic pathway story in motion
Some athletes take one path to elite sport. Isabelle Mardelle has taken two - and doing it with real distinction.
With a strong history in athletics, Izzy has represented England multiple times, including:
- Gold – Home Counties International
- Silver – Two further England representations
- Former British U15 Sprint Hurdles Record Holder
- Shortlisted for the Youth Commonwealth Games
Izzy’s elite sport foundation started even earlier, with time on the GBR Gymnastics Development Squad before transitioning into athletics and reaching national success. After time away from competition due to injury and recovery, she has shown huge determination to return and explore a new elite opportunity.
Skeleton pathway (2025–2026):
- Selected through Sport England’s ‘Find Your Greatness’ programme
- Identified by multiple National Governing Bodies
- Invited onto the GB Skeleton development pathway
- Training camps at Bath University
- International camps in Lillehammer (Norway), France and Germany
Looking ahead (2026):
Potential selection for the GB Skeleton Team, continued development, and long-term ambition to compete at the Olympic Games.
Izzy’s story is the kind that defines elite sport: setbacks, comeback, and a new horizon.
Backing what’s next
To our 2026 winners - congratulations. Your dedication, ambition and hard work are exactly what the Ron Harrod Foundation is here to support, and we’re excited to play a part in what comes next.
WHO IS RON HARROD?
Harrod UK began when founder Ron Harrod invested just £300 and started to convert old herring nets into garden netting in a factory in Lowestoft, using skills traditionally associated with Lowestoft’s fishing industry.
The year of 1954 ended with a successful £5,000 turnover and Harrod UK Ltd was established in a 30ft by 10ft workshop in Horn Hill, Lowestoft.
1976 saw the company expanding, securing additional factory space at the site before building its own factory in Pinbush Road in 1979. The office followed, moving shortly after.
Throughout his career, Ron Harrod had always been a pioneer in goal post safety and became a co-founding member of the CEN Committee in 1989.
Following in that tradition, his son Chris Harrod currently represents the U.K. on the European Standards Committee for goal post safety.
Ron Harrod retired in 2005, but his children – Chris and Stephanie Harrod – ensure his legacy lives on, both in a business sense and with the ethos Ron maintained throughout the years that the “customer is king”. Sadly, Ron passed away on 29 December 2020, and is hugely missed by the Harrod team.
In 2017 the company changed its name to Harrod Sport as it ventured further into international markets.
Today, Harrod Sport is recognised as the market leader in the sports industry and boasts a multi-million-pound turnover with a 140-strong workforce. This has all been made possible because of Ron’s entrepreneurial determination and winning spirit.
