Surrey Judo Star Balances Olympic Dreams with McDonald’s Shifts
From Glasgow Glory to the Drive-Thru Window
It's a story that captures the reality of elite sport in Britain today: Summer Shaw, a 22-year-old judo champion, won Scotland's first Commonwealth Games medal in Glasgow just weeks ago, capturing bronze in the 48kg category—a lifelong dream realised. Within days, she was back in Surrey, clocking in for her shifts at McDonald's. The contrast struck her so sharply that she filmed a quick TikTok video during a work break, never expecting what came next. The clip went viral, viewed over a million times, sparking genuine bewilderment from viewers. How could someone achieve such athletic excellence and then return to flipping burgers? For Shaw, the answer reveals uncomfortable truths about funding elite sport in the UK. Unlike household names in football or motorsport, judo athletes rarely enjoy financial security at the top level. Shaw's part-time work isn't a choice—it's a necessity. She relies on an Athlete Performance Award (APA) from UK Sport and the National Lottery, but this covers only her living and training essentials. Competition fees, travel to international events like the Grand Prix in Peru, and everyday expenses like saving for a house fall squarely on her shoulders. The McDonald's job, which she picked up while studying A-levels, has become her financial lifeline.
Community Support and Workplace Flexibility in Surrey and Beyond
What makes Shaw's story resonate across Surrey communities—from Guildford to Horsley and East Horsley—is the broader picture of young people juggling ambition with practicality. Her McDonald's employer has proven genuinely flexible, allowing her to work two or three shifts weekly when she's home from her biology degree studies in Birmingham, where she trains at the British Judo Olympic and Paralympic National Training Centre in Walsall. This flexibility is rare. Shaw emphasises how difficult it is to find part-time employers willing to accommodate an athlete's unpredictable schedule. Many young people in similar situations report managers refusing to grant weekend time off for competitions. The McDonald's team has become more than a paycheck—Shaw has built genuine friendships there and even met her boyfriend. Local businesses and community organisations in Surrey could learn from this example. As more young athletes pursue elite sport while studying, the demand for flexible employment grows. Woking, Dorking, and surrounding areas host talented competitors who face identical pressures. Community leaders and business owners should consider how supporting young athletes strengthens local pride and talent development. When workplaces accommodate excellence, they invest in their communities' future.
What's Next: Sponsorship, The 2028 Olympics, and Local Action
Shaw's immediate goal is funding her path to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. She's launched a GoFundMe page to bridge the financial gap between her APA and the costs of pursuing her dream. A sponsorship deal, she says, would be transformative—not luxurious, but genuinely game-changing. It would let her focus entirely on training rather than scheduling shifts around competitions. For Surrey residents wanting to support homegrown talent, sponsoring or donating to athletes like Shaw directly impacts their competitive futures. Local businesses—whether bathroom fitters in Horsley, bathroom refurbishment specialists in Guildford, or any enterprise in our region—might consider athlete sponsorship as corporate social responsibility. It costs far less than many assume and generates genuine community goodwill. Beyond individual support, local communities should advocate for better funding structures for non-mainstream sports. The gap between what football players earn and what judo champions struggle to afford is significant. As Shaw's story spreads, conversations are happening about whether current support systems adequately nurture Britain's next generation of Olympic medallists. Watch this space: if Shaw reaches Los Angeles 2028, her journey from McDonald's to the podium will inspire countless other young athletes in Surrey and across the UK to believe their dreams are achievable too.
Source: ‘I won Commonwealth Games bronze – then went back to work at McDonald's'
