Double sporting success for Mazak engineers

Emelia Hughes and Jas Cordelle have enjoyed both national and international sporting triumphs this year in field archery and motorcycle drag racing respectively, while continuing to thrive professionally in their roles at Mazak.

Hughes completed a three-year Level 3 Mechanical Engineering Apprenticeship with the company in September 2025, and in the same summer she won double gold for Great Britain at the European Field Archery Championships in Poland. Marking her debut in a European Field Archery event, she achieved top spot in both the Individual Recurve Under 21 category and the Mixed Team event.

Her success follows her gold medal win in the Recurve Mixed Team Category at the Veronica’s Cup in Slovenia earlier this year, and recognition as Advanced Level Apprentice of the Year at the 2024 Worcestershire Apprenticeship Awards. Alongside building a promising career at Mazak, Hughes is setting her ambitions on the World Field Archery Championships in the USA in 2026 and hopes to add to her rapidly expanding trophy cabinet.

Cordelle, a technical support engineer at Mazak’s European Spindle Service Centre, cemented her status as one of the UK’s fastest women on two wheels as she clinched the national motorcycle drag racing championship. She joined Mazak a decade ago as an apprentice, completing a Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and Level 4 HNC in Manufacturing Engineering, before moving to Mazak’s Spindle Service Centre in her final year.

Cordelle’s professional success has mirrored her achievements on the track, where she closed out the 2025 drag racing season with a stunning 7.06-second run at the National Finals, reaching a top speed of 185mph. This was despite engine trouble during qualifying that meant she and her team had to rebuild her bike overnight.

"Emelia and Jas are excellent examples of what’s possible when passion is combined with hard work," said Richard Smith, European group MD at Yamazaki Mazak. "Their enthusiasm and determination for their respective sports has been incredibly impressive to witness, and we are very proud to have supported them on their individual journeys.

"Both Emelia and Jas bring an outstanding level of drive to their work, and this has been key to their continued professional development and success. Since joining Yamazaki Mazak as apprentices, they have continued to inspire new apprentices and colleagues - whether on the racetrack, the archery range or at the company’s European Headquarters."

For more information about Yamazaki Mazak’s apprenticeship opportunities, please visit: www.mazakeu.co.uk/apprenticeships