Olympic Success

Former College student Ed Appleby shines after Olympic debut.

We are celebrating the success of former student Ed Appleby, who recently made a strong impression at his first Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.

The 21 year old men’s singles skater competed in the team event, helping Team GB finish ninth, and delivered a season’s best 69.68. Ed described the experience as “incredible” and is already pushing for more as he balances training with a Mathematics with Computing degree – not an easy job!

Ed studied at Colchester Sixth Form College from 2021–23, achieving top grades in Computing, Mathematics and PE while competing internationally. In late 2023, he travelled to the British Ice Skating Championships and returned as the Senior British Men’s Champion — and he went on to defend his title in November 2025. That same year he represented Great Britain at both the World Championships (32nd) and European Championships (20th).

His momentum continued at the Skate to Milano Olympic Qualifier in September, where another season’s best score put him firmly on the path to Olympic selection.

Reflecting on Ed’s time at the College, Assistant Principal Adrian Frost said:

“Ed was fantastic; he kept up with his studies while competing at the highest international level — a real achievement. When he was here, he earned the Department Award for Mathematics and the Department Award for Sport & PE – I said at the time I was confident this wasn’t the last award we’d see Ed receive.”