Olympic Medallist Embarks on GIS Journey

With an elite sprinting career, Bianca Williams is a stellar athlete, specialising in the 200m and 4x100m relay.

This includes a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, before doing it again in 2022. She then won more gold at the 2018 European Championships and once more at the 2025 World Relays, as well as an Olympic silver at the Paris games.

Now, Bianca has begun preparing for her career away from the track, choosing to study with us at GIS.

Enrolling on our MSc International Sport Management programme, Bianca is one of many student-athletes who understand the importance of setting themselves up for their next step in the sporting world.

This can be a daunting task, with some athletes understandably not wanting to think about their careers ending. However, studies have found that engaging with career transition planning can even improve sporting performance, giving athletes the peace of mind needed to fully focus on their game.

With an undergraduate degree in Sports and Exercise Science, Bianca now wants to further her studies, telling GIS: “I realised I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do post-career.

“I had actually looked at GIS for a few years but I was scared since it had been so long since I have been at university. I decided I should take a leap and aim to get a postgraduate degree in something I can be invested in.”

A full-time athlete and a mother, Bianca added that the flexibility of GIS programmes through the ability to study online helped sway her decision, as well as the support of a friend currently studying with us too.

Having connections like these in the industry is vital, with networking often the way to build these relationships. 

These skills can help you learn from people in jobs you’d like to work in, while also getting your name out there for employers to recognise. Either way, building relationships can significantly help your career progression.

Recognising this, Bianca said: “I am really hoping to connect with new people who are in different careers and gain an understanding where I would like my future to go.”

GIS is proud to enable networking like this, with countless events and conferences that students can attend, as well as direct links into the industry via our expert lecturers.

As Bianca embarks on her MSc International Sport Management studies, her decision to plan for her post-racing career reflects a growing number of athletes who choose education as their next step.

Like Bianca, you can begin your studies to help you venture into the sports industry. To learn more, discover our range of course offerings.

Article by Zakaria Anani