The 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham officially kick off in one week and we are incredibly proud that 200+ athletes and alumni from BUCS will be competing, representing all four home nations, as well as Jamaica, Kenya, Jersey and Guernsey. From swimming to judo, gymnastics to cricket, and rugby 7s to basketball, we can’t wait to see BUCS athletes and alumni shine on home soil.
The hockey field will see the most BUCS representation across any of the team sports at the Games, as 54 athletes and alumni have been selected from the BUCS men’s hockey and BUCS and ICG women’s hockey programmes. Stars such as the University of Edinburgh’s David Forrester and current student Eve Pearson will make their Commonwealth Games debut for Scotland. Current England player and Loughborough University student Izzy Petter will make her Commonwealth Games debut following her Olympic Games debut just 12 months ago.
Crossing to the track and field, there are 78 BUCS athletes and alumni representing six nations in Birmingham, with the majority being previous university champions over the years. Multiple BUCS champion Coventry University’s Hannah Cockcroft MBE will be representing England in the 100m T34 category. the now fastest women in Wales and multiple BUCS champion over 60m and 200m, Hannah Brier of Cardiff Metropolitan University will be ready to set the Commonwealth alight in the 200m, and the new 1500m World champion Jake Wightman from Loughborough University will be going for gold over 800m and 1500m.
Over in the pool, a fantastic 22 swimmers and divers will be heading to Birmingham to make their mark on the Games. This includes our solo representative from Kenya, Imara Bella Thorpe from the University of Edinburgh. Also at the aquatics centre will be Paralympic silver medallist and shortlisted nominee for BUCS Sportsperson of the Year Grace Harvey from the University of Manchester, and Olympian and two-time BUCS Sportsman of the Year Duncan Scott from the University of Stirling.
On the springboard, our biggest hope of a medal comes from Scottish diver and reigning Commonwealth Games champion Grace Reid from the University of Edinburgh, who will be hoping she can out-dive the competition to win back-to-back gold medals.
For the first time in Commonwealth Games history, T20 cricket will be part of the schedule in Birmingham, with the women’s competition. The England squad made up of 15 includes the captain, Cardiff University’s Heather Knight, Oxford Brookes’ Maia Bouchier, and the University of Exeter's Freya Davies.
Vince Mayne, BUCS CEO said, “The amount of BUCS athletes and alumni selected for the Commonwealth Games is testament to the strength of all our sports programmes. Off the back of the incredible success of Tokyo 2021, where BUCS took home 53 Olympic and 34 Paralympic medals, I am very excited to watch the progress of our athletes and alumni on home soil this summer.”
We wish the very best of luck to every single one of our current athletes and alumni competing, the whole BUCS community will be cheering you across the whole of the UK and its’ islands. A Commonwealth Games in front of a home crowd; if its anything like the magic of London 2012, we should be in for a momentous summer.
[Image credit: Team Scotland]
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