Semester One: Performance Sport Round Up
From ‘three-peats’ and podiums, to debuts and caps: the first semester at the University of Birmingham had it all.
Here we take a little look back at some of the most notable successes achieved by our scholars, performance teams and alumni in the lead up to Christmas.
It was pure (Turkish) delight for the ten student-athletes selected to represent Great Britain at the European Cross Country Championships in December, making up 25% of the squad.
Demonstrating once again the incredible strength and depth within the University’s Athletics and Cross Country Club by having representation across all age groups at the Championships, and to provide greater context to the overall success and standard of performance on the day: had the Club been a country in its own right, it would have placed second in the medal tally, with a grand total of nine medals – three individual and six team.
Jess Bailey and David Stone each produced dazzling performances that saw them both claim podium finishes within the U20 Women’s (silver) and U23 Men’s (bronze) races respectively, whilst final year Mechanical Engineering student and Elite Scholar Will Barnicoat powered down the home straight to victory, retaining his place atop the U23 Men’s podium and becoming the first male Briton to win three consecutive European Cross Country titles.
We can’t wait to see what this incredibly talented group and their team-mates can achieve on the mud at the fast-approaching BUCS Cross Country Championships.
Five current and recently-graduated University hockey players were selected to represent England at senior level in the FIH Pro League tournament in China.
Whilst Lily Walker remains a regular senior international representative, the others each gained debut caps and three of the five also claimed debut goals.
First year History student and Elite Scholar Lottie Bingham not only gained her first senior cap, but also became one of only a handful of players ever to score a double as an 18-year old on the global stage, contributing to an emphatic victory over Belgium and securing Player of the Match.
First year Sport, Physical Education and Coaching Science student Caspar Lea played a part in the Great Britain U21s men’s squad’s record-breaking victory at the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia, and four of our current female hockey scholars were confirmed in the 2024-25 England U21 Women’s squad.
All three of our top international Squash players brought their A game to the BUCS Individual Championships, along with the rest of the performance squad.
Elite Scholars Sanjay Jeeva, Moustafa El Sirty and Hana Ismail won Gold, Silver and Bronze respectively, as they continue to balance their academics and thrive on the PSA tour.
At the time of writing, all three individuals are currently sitting comfortably within the top-80 ranked players in the world. Sanjay was also selected to represent his home country of Malaysia at the World Team Championships in Hong Kong just before Christmas.
Fresh from the 2024 Paris Olympics, Ollie Morgan claimed multiple medals at the BUCS Short Course Championships and continued to set numerous club records, before competing at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Budapest for Great Britain.
Also on the BUCS stage, Medicine student Katie Mole claimed victory at the Indoor Rowing Championships.
Meanwhile, Judo Scholar Summer Shaw completed an outstanding international season that saw her place 5th at the Junior European Judo Championships and 7th at the U21 World Judo Championships.
Before the year was up, Summer was named as a finalist for Sports Aid’s prestigious ‘One to Watch’ award and won her third consecutive British Championships title.
As well as celebrating the varied success of our current student-athletes, it always gives us great pleasure to shine a light upon the continued achievement of our alumni wherever possible.
With that in mind, particular recognition goes to Modern Languages alumnus Sunni Jardine for his selection to represent Great Britain and make his debut at the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series; Economics alumna Fran Williams for earning her 50th cap for the Vitality England Roses, whilst captaining the squad at the inaugural Horizon Series; and to Drama and Theatre Arts graduate Pippa Lock for her call up to the Great Britain Senior Hockey programme.
