Nottingham triumphs at BUCS Individual Table Tennis Championships
The University of Nottingham continued its remarkable dominance in table tennis, delivering a stellar performance at the BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) Individual Championships 2024. Held at the David Ross Sports Village at the end of November, the Green and Gold secured an outstanding 13 medals, including four golds, showcasing the strength and depth of its squad.
Published 16 Dec 2024
Jiaqi Meng led the medal charge with an extraordinary three golds, confirming her status as one of the standout performers of the competition. Sports scholar Meng claimed a hat-trick of gold medals by winning the women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles competitions. Meng defeated her women's doubles partner, Nottingham teammate and current England number 1 female player and commonwealth games medallist Tin-Tin Ho in the singles final, whilst pairing with Robert Pelc to claim the mixed doubles gold.
Xinliang Sun completed the gold medal haul for the University of Nottingham with a stunning victory in his men's singles category, overcoming his third-seed status to claim the title in style. Xinliang added another medal when winning bronze alongside Yat Poon in the mixed doubles.
Last year's University of Nottingham Table Tennis Club president Robert Pelc added to his tally with a silver medal alongside Harri Docherty in the men's doubles, whilst Harri paired with Tin-Tin to reach the mixed doubles final before finishing second to Meng and Pelc. The mixed doubles event would prove to be a standout discipline for Nottingham with all four medals going to the #GreenandGold as Anna Green and Tianyi Zhang would join Sun and Poon in earning a bronze medal.
Nottingham’s medal-winning achievements also included brilliant performances from Yat Poon and Jasmin Wong who won silver in the women's doubles behind Meng and Ho, with Anna Green and Mari Baldwin taking bronze in the same event. Yat Poon would also ensure that a Nottingham athlete took to every step of the podium in the women's singles by winning bronze.
We would like to congratulate everyone involved in the success of our University of Nottingham Table Tennis athletes at the championships, with an exceptional skill and determination was on display contributing to the team’s overall success. The team demonstrated incredible teamwork, resilience, and a shared passion for excellence. These exceptional performances would not have been possible without the unwavering commitment of the entire squad who are supported by an expert coaching team led by Kelly Sibley.
As the team reflects on another incredible BUCS championship, the focus remains firmly on the future. With the depth of talent and dedication displayed this weekend, the University of Nottingham continues to set the benchmark in the sport of table tennis at the university level.
For the full results from the championships, please visit the BUCS official website.
To find out more about the performance table tennis programme at the University of Nottingham, please visit our dedicated webpage.
Stay up to date with all the latest UoN Sport news and achievements by following the University of Nottingham Table Tennis Club on social media.
Jiaqi Meng, University of Nottingham Sport Scholar
Thank you to our amazing squad for their hard work, unwavering support for each other, and for always giving their best on and off the tables. This success is down to our players’ hard work, dedication, and amazing match performances – you’ve made us proud! Finally, a big thank you to our coaches for their guidance and support, not just during the tournament but also for the extra hours they dedicated in preparing us for the weekend.
University of Nottingham Table Tennis Club
Notes for editors
University of Nottingham are the top UK University for team sport, placing 2nd in the overall British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) rankings in the 2023/24 season. For more information on our performance sport offer, including scholarships and support for student athletes, please click here.