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Jailan Sohna: From rough diamond to full scholarship at Iowa State

Jailan's times were below what a Big 12 programme would usually recruit. OSS positioned him with bigger schools anyway, and he earned a full scholarship at Iowa State, then ran two seconds quicker in his first semester.

The story

Jailan wasn't the finished article when he came to you. How did you approach it?

“Jailan was a remarkable talent, but he was rough around the edges and needed refining. His times weren't necessarily the standards a programme of that level would usually recruit, but we believed we were the right organisation to help him generate options at a high level.”

What happened?

“We positioned him with bigger schools and he received a full scholarship from Iowa State. In his first semester he has already run two seconds quicker, which puts him among Britain's finest young 800m runners. It's been absolutely brilliant to watch.”

Nathan Gillis, founder of Olympic Sports Scholarships

Key results

• Full scholarship at Iowa State (Big 12)
• Two seconds quicker over 800m in his first semester

What this means for your recruiting

• Times below a programme's usual standard don't automatically rule you out. Potential, presented well, can open bigger doors.
• The right coaching environment can bring big improvements quickly.

Useful next reads

• US scholarships for UK athletes
• 800m scholarship times
• The Standards Engine: times for every event

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