ACPE's Beki Lee Competing at the London Olympics

ACPE's Beki Lee Competing at the London Olympics

Elite athlete and student at The Australian College of Physical Education, Beki Lee, 25, has been selected to represent Australia at the London Olympics this year. She has successfully qualified to compete in the games in her field of Race Walking, and remarkably, has done so while juggling her vigorous training regimes and study.

Beki first began Race Walking when she was 10 years old, and from the age of 13 decided that she wanted to compete at the Olympic Games one day. Ten years later she's getting the chance. 'To put it simply, it's a dream come true. It makes all the hard work worth it to know I'm making my family, my coaches and my boyfriend proud," says Beki.

Beki moved to Canberra when she was 23 to train under Brent Vallance and his squad at the Australian Institute of Sport. It was then, in 2011, that she made her first senior team competing at the World University Games in China. It wasn't long before she was selected to compete at the Race Walking World Cup which is to take place this May in Russia, all while training for the Olympics.

Although training is a top priority for Beki, it was important for her not to let it negatively affect her studies. Currently studying her Bachelor of Sports Business, Beki credits the ACPE for giving her the opportunity to study while training. 'One of the main reasons I chose to study at the ACPE was because of the strong sporting background it has. The college definitely helped me juggle all the commitments in my life by being as flexible as possible, and providing support staff. They were always happy to alter my timetable to suit my training commitments, which made it so much easier for me to balance study, work and training," says Beki.

With over 1,000 students currently enrolled at the ACPE, it is the largest sports education specialist in Australia. The ACPE prides itself on offering support to elite athletes, including a nominated university staff contact to give extra support and flexible study options when it comes to assessment and enrolment. Beki works closely with Ross Brennan, Course Convenor for the Sports Business Degree in continuing her units whilst living and training in Canberra.

'The ACPE has helped me get to where I am today as I didn't have to stop studying to achieve my dream of competing at the Olympics. It's also very important to me to have a career plan after I stop competing and the ACPE have helped me with that. " says Beki.

For more information go to www.acpe.edu.au

The Australian College of Physical Education (ACPE) is part of Study Group, a global leader in education. Each year over 60,000 students from more than 130 countries enter its programmes drawn by the sector-leading quality of its educational provision. Study Groups' purpose-built teaching and residential facilities set an industry benchmark in contemporary learning environments.

The Career Education Division of Study Group is a set of private Australian education colleges, made up of the Australian College of Physical Education (ACPE), the Australian Institute of Applied Sciences (AIAS) and Martin College. It is a leader in education, providing its students with the skills and qualifications needed to succeed after graduation.