Athletics, Judo and Swimming bring home medals and GB selections
The start of February welcomed a flurry activity with Birmingham athletes competing in the World University Cross Country, UK Indoor Athletics Championships and Judo European University Championships.
Athletics alumni continued their strong start to 2024 with six medals at the UK Indoor Athletics Championships held on home turf in Birmingham. An impressive total of 33 current and alumni UoB students competed at these championships.
University of Birmingham alumni Georgia Bell bought home a gold medal in the 1500m, with Issy Boffey (800m) and Sam Khogali (Long Jump) winning a silver medal. A further three bronze medals saw Sarah McDonald (1500m), Akin Coward (High Jump) and Abby Hughes (3000m Race Walk) complete the impressive medal haul.
Bell & Boffey, alongside University of Birmingham staff member Hannah Kelly, have all been selected in the 20-string GB Team heading to the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, taking place from Friday 1 March – Sunday 3 March.
The University Judo team gave a strong showing in last weekend’s European University Championships with five students bringing home medals.
It was a gold for scholar Summer Shaw, three silvers for Ben Levy, Harry Hopson and Amel Simms and Amy Riddesdell adding a bronze to another crucial BUCS 2023/24 fixture. This lead to qualification for the European University Championships for some members of the team.
In the heat of Muscat in Oman, four current Birmingham students were competing in the World University Cross Country following their qualification at Parliament Hill in January.
Tyler Bilyard contributed to a Mixed Short Relay Gold for Team GB, before finishing 7th in the 3000m short individual race and Birmingham teammate Elsa Palmer finished 8th in the women’s race.
In the Long Course Race, 10,000m through desert conditions, Charlotte Alexander placed 12th in the women’s and Tomer Tarragano came in at 15th in the Men’s race.
On the weekend of 24 – 25 February the University swim team of 31 swimmers saw some outstanding performances at the BUCS Swimming Long Course Championships. Birmingham placed 6th overall while claiming 10 university records and clocking 15 Olympic Trials qualifying times individually by members of the team.
Medallists Oliver Morgan and Lucy-Jordan Caws picked up 2 gold medals and 2 silver medals between them. Morgan brought home the gold in the 100m and 200m backstroke , and narrowly missed out on the gold in the 50m by 0.01 seconds but was rewarded with the silver medal. Meanwhile, Lucy picked up her silver medal in the S15 50m Butterfly.
On the same weekend, our Athletics team continued their indoor success from the start of the month at the BUCS Indoor Championships in Sheffield. The team secured 7 individual medals as well as a silver medal in the women’s 2 x 200m relay. Didi Okoh, Tyler Bilyard and sports scholar Kimani Jack secured gold medals, with Cameron Bailey and Tommy Bridger coming home with silver medals and Darian Moore and Zoe Hunter with bronze.
This rounds off yet another month of fantastic results for our Birmingham representatives.
