Meet Daniel Smyllie, Class of 2021 IB Diploma Graduate

Daniel joined the BIS Abu Dhabi family in Year 9 and after five fantastic years he has graduated with his IB Diploma. This is an amazing achievement as Daniel also balanced his studies with an intensive sporting schedule that had him training for four hours a day, six days a week.  

Daniel, an exceptionally talented gymnast, found that completing the IB Diploma really allowed him to learn valuable life skills such as time-management. “I was able to setup a timetable which enabled me to complete my studies whilst also training for my future sporting ambitions. Sometimes I was having to use the time I spent travelling between Abu Dhabi and Dubai on the way to training to finish assignments, it was totally worth it as I was determined to achieve both my academic and sporting goals.”  

Daniel was born in the UK and at the age of 5 was selected to train in the elite squad at the famous Earls Gymnastics Club. During his time there, he was training alongside Kristian Thomas (Olympic Medallist and GB Team Captain) and Dominic Cunningham (European Floor Champion). In the UK, he represented the Midlands region in the National Elite Grades Competition, winning gold each time against competitors from all over Great Britain. These national successes led him to be chosen to train with the Great British squad at the Lilleshall National Training Centre on many occasions. He trained with double Olympic Champion Max Whitlock, Pommel specialist Louis Smith and the other GB squad members. 

When he was 13, he moved to Abu Dhabi and won many medals representing Dubai Olympic Gymnastics Club. To further his gymnastics career, he transferred to Aspire Gymnastics Dubai which currently has the best facilities in the UAE. The top of the range facilities and world-class coaching have enabled him to compete at the highest possible level and winning the Fly High inaugural competition in Dubai and a Bronze Medal in the Serbian International Competition despite being injured. He is currently coached by Marian Cristi Stoican, a former Romanian Gymnast, who placed 6th in the World Championships in 1989. Daniel is honing his skills to compete for World and Olympic glory in the near future. 

Daniel said it is thanks to his teachers that he has been able to balance his sporting career and his studies: “The teachers at BIS Abu Dhabi have been a major part in my journey and have really helped me with everything that they can. I have been able to sit down with all my teachers and talk to them about what would be best for both my academic studies and my gymnastic goals. They really helped me achieve a balance not only between my schoolwork and gymnastics, but also with some much-needed down time. They have always been there to help if I have needed anything and with their support, I am delighted to have passed the IB Diploma Programme.” 

Daniel has been a valued member of the BIS Abu Dhabi community; he will be missed by the Sports Department as he was an asset to many of the school’s sports teams. Even with his busy schedule, Daniel also managed to find time to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. What will Daniel miss? “The biggest thing about BIS Abu Dhabi that I am going to miss is seeing all the amazing teachers. All of the teachers have played a massive part in my time at the school, and I thank each one of them for their help and support.  I am so proud to say that I was part of the BIS Abu Dhabi community, and it will always be special looking back on all the amazing memories I have from my time at the school.”  

Now that Daniel has completed the IB Diploma Programme, he is training for the 2024 Olympics. He will also be competing in many gymnastic competitions in the lead up to the Olympic event and will be looking to bring home the gold. Congratulations, Daniel!