Remember that saying 'physician heal thyself'? Jan Gosiewski has taken it to heart.
When the England Commonwealth Games judo player has done with the sport he may yet reap the benefits of studies at the University of Bath.
The Hounslow-born international is studying for a Biomechanics PhD in hip replacement, and in particular cup fixation techniques that go with the operation.
If and when Gosiewski’s (pronounced Gojshevski) joints creak, he might need the op that emanates from his own labours.
“Yeah, there’s definitely an element of studying something that might come in handy later,” he said.
“Doing high performance sport you do overload and strain your joints. Hopefully, my research won’t be personally useful, but you never know, because last year there were 80,000 hip replacements in England and Wales, second only behind cataract surgery.”
Decades before he lines up for a plastic hip, there is Glasgow and gold in mind at the judo competition starting July 24 at the SECC Precinct in the city’s West End.
In 2013 Gosiewski defended his British Champion’s title and went to his first senior European and World Championships, and readily admits anything less than first in the U73kgs category would be ‘really disappointing.’
“I was injured at the start of the year, but I feel good now,” he added.
“Potentially, the level at the Games is going to be lower than the World or European championships but it’s dangerous to generalise. If you focus on a medal rather than each fight - you lose.”
When pushed, the 26-year-old reckons Canada, Africa in general, and Oceania have developed in recent years and might be the major opposition, but Gosiewski eyes the big prize both in the day job and on the mat.
He said: “Bath has very strong engineering department and is strong on sport. It was a no-brainer to go there, and I’m in quite a luxurious situation for a sportsman because I can fit my Phd around training while funded by my studies.”
He still needed an extra bit of research to trace his Hounslow roots.
Gosiewski explained: “My granddad’s Polish and he stayed in England after the second World War before marrying an English woman.
“My dad was born in England, but he married a Pole, and they left Whitton to return to Poland when I was very young.
“We moved back to England in 2004 and to Darlington. But it’s great to know there’s interest in west London, and it’s an extra spur towards trying to win gold.”
