Hertfordshire can take a great deal of pride from its presence at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Eight incredible sportspeople – Anna Henderson, Kimberley Woods, Jodie Williams, Elizabeth Bird, Phoebe Gill, Max Whitlock, James Albery and Emma Reid – represented our county at the Games and it was inspiring to see their hard work on the world stage.

It was great to see Anna secure Silver in cycling’s Women’s Individual Time Trial, wonderful to watch Kimberley win Bronze in the Women’s Kayak Cross and the Women’s K1 and fantastic when Welwyn Garden City’s own runner Jodie Williams received Bronze for her role in Great Britain’s 4x400m relay team.

Our competitors also produced impressive performances, including Phoebe, who at only 17 was one of Team GB’s youngest athletes, while Elizabeth, who is a former member of the Welwyn Garden City-based Herts Phoenix Athletics Club, set a new British record in the 3,000m steeplechase final.

I’m proud to say our involvement in the Games didn’t end there as a Hertfordshire business was among the organisations supporting Great Britain’s competitors.

Hertfordshire Chamber member VOW Nutrition was an Official Nutrition Licensee for Team GB. Ambassadors for the brand include swimmer Matt Richards, who won Gold in the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay and Silver in the Men’s 200m Freestyle, and sprinter Daryll Neita, who won Silver in the Women’s 4x100m, with their nutrition.

It’s unsurprising that Team GB wanted to work with VOW Nutrition. Since its launch in 2019 it has worked alongside esteemed athletes and sporting governing bodies, becoming a trusted provider of top-quality, batch-tested and Informed Sport Accredited supplements.

On behalf of Hertfordshire Chamber, I’d like to thank our athletes and VOW Nutrition for making us proud and for all the hard work they put in during the years leading up to the Games to make these achievements happen.

I’d also like to thank them for reminding us of the many crossovers between the worlds of sport and business.

To succeed in either world you must be committed to excellence, have clear goals, be resilient, adaptable, consistent and develop effective teamwork and communication skills.

Businesses that perform well in these areas set themselves on the way to achieving their own version of Olympic medals in the form of growth, investment and business accolades.

However, just like our Olympians who benefitted from VOW Nutrition’s support, businesses thrive when they have a community behind them.

It makes such a difference to have access to experts who can connect businesses with people who can help them get to the next level.

At Hertfordshire Chamber, we’re proud to lobby on behalf of our 1,000 members and support them with their networking, training, profile raising and international trade needs every day.

If you want help to take your business to the next level contact us today to find out how we can support you. See hertschamber.com to find out more.