A record year for sport at Durham
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Celebrating our athletes from students to alumni
Our athletes hail from all walks of life, academic disciplines and Colleges and hone their skills while at Durham.
Through our Wider Student Experience programme, we do all we can to support students to enrich their time at Durham through the performing arts, sport, volunteering, entrepreneurship, e-sports and countless other activities. This year has been an excellent one for our sports clubs. They have achieved a record-breaking 13 British Universities and Colleges Sport national titles. Four alumni and a graduating student have so far been named in the Olympic team too - for rowing and hockey. We wish them all the very best of luck this summer and will certainly be cheering them on!
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Durham at the 2024 Olympics
Four alumni and a graduating student have been announced as part of the Team GB squad ahead of the Olympics in Paris. Congratulations to Lauren Irwin (women's rowing), Tess Howard and Fiona Crackles (women's hockey), Jack Waller and Ollie Payne (men's hockey).
The support I received from my College (Hild Bede) and its boat club definitely helped my rowing career. The links that the University also had with British rowing definitely helped my progression through the sport too. I'm so grateful for everyone's support and I wouldn't be here without it. Especially the coaches, my friends at University and my family.
Watch videos with our hockey Olympians
Fiona Crackles (women's hockey squad)
Fiona graduated this summer and has been catapulted straight into the Paris 2024 Olympics. Watch a Team Durham interview with her at the end of her first year at Durham to gain insights into how she experienced sport here.
Follow Durham through the 2024 Paris Olympics
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A record year for sport at Durham
University and College level sport is thriving, but don't just take our word for it! Delve into our news articles, read our student blogs and check out Team Durham's social media.
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"The facilities at Maiden Castle are pretty special. It’s a pretty good set-up there and something athletes need for strength and conditioning, and physical fitness. You can’t really get much better. The sports staff and coaches have been brilliant as well."
Max Pepper
Professional rugby player for Newcastle Falcons Rugby Club and alumnus
>> Read more about Max and his experiences of rugby at Durham
"Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would win four National Championships in one year, and be part of a wider team breaking its all-time BUCS Championship record. It just goes to show how Team Durham fosters a culture of excellence."
Ryan Dickson
Durham volleyball, baseball, and MBA postgraduate and sports scholar, St Cuthbert’s Society
"Being able to train everyday with such a talented group has really helped me to continue to develop both as a player and a leader. So much so that I received my first England Lacrosse senior cap in April and was very grateful to receive Sportswoman of the Year at the University’s Palatinate Awards off the back of this at the start of June."
Lizzie Rutherford
Durham lacrosse, Geography student, Collingwood College
Explore the latest sports news
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National spotlight for Durham's community sport programme
Our sports and wellbeing work with our local communities has been highlighted as an example of best practice among UK universities.Durham news/prod01/prodbucket01/media/durham-university/central-news-and-events-images/maiden-castle.jpg)
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Quadruple representation for Durham in Team GB hockey squad
Three Durham alumni and a graduating student have been selected for the men’s and women’s Team GB hockey squads ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer.Alumni news/prod01/prodbucket01/media/durham-university/alumni-/news/2024-06-27-Hockey-alumni-(1050-x-350px).png)
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Record-breaking season for sport at Durham
Our student sports clubs have achieved an all-time record for the University by winning 13 BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) national championships this season.Student news/prod01/prodbucket01/media/durham-university/wider-student-experience-/team-durham/news/Water-Polo-M1-1050X350.jpeg)
National spotlight for Durham's community sport programme
Our sports and wellbeing work with our local communities has been highlighted as an example of best practice among UK universities.
Quadruple representation for Durham in Team GB hockey squad
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Record-breaking season for sport at Durham
Our sporting community
Our student and alumni athletes regularly hit the headlines for a wide variety of sports. They also engage with the wider Durham community to inform and inspire, with initiatives ranging from local primary schools to audiences around the globe.
Read on for a snapshot of the sporting activity undertaken.
Our students
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Double world championship win
Student Josh Waddell has become double world champion at the U23 Wheelchair Fencing World Championships in Thailand.
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Durham players in England hockey squad
Undergraduates Scarlett Spavin and Lizzy Pocknell were goalscorers for England Women's U21 Hockey World Cup in Chile.
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Introducing our first Esports Hub
Our new Esports Hub in the Sports & Wellbeing Park at Maiden Park provides a purpose-built space for practising, competing and coming together.
Double world championship win
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Durham players in England hockey squad
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Introducing our first Esports Hub
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Our alumni
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Representing Great Britain & Northern Ireland
Alumnus Callum Elson was selected for Team GB & NI for the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow in March.
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Twice-round-the-world triathlon
In January 2023, 33 Durham alumni embarked on a year-long challenge to run, cycle or swim a total of 80,150km in memory of two fellow students.
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Representing Great Britain & Northern Ireland
This Durham Global Week event hosted a panel of outstanding Durham community members, including alumna Katharine Ford and student Josh Waddell.
Representing Great Britain & Northern Ireland
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Twice-round-the-world triathlon
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Developing a high-performance mindset
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Read more from our students
Read about sport at Durham in our students' own words, and explore the wider sporting social media community.
Student blog highlights
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Beyond the lecture theatre: exploring Durham's sports scene
Third year Earth Sciences student Isabel explains how sport has shaped her time at Durham at both College and University level.
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College sport - Hill v Bailey
Final year Geography undergraduate Tanisha delves into the details of College sport, and how Hill and Bailey Colleges cater for their student sports teams.
Beyond the lecture theatre: exploring Durham's sports scene
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College sport - Hill v Bailey
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Inspiring the extraordinary
Our transformative wider student experience helps students develop team working and leadership capabilities.
We’re consistently ranked within the top three British universities for sport and were named as Sports University of the Year in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023. Sport is at the core of Durham student life, and a huge range of sporting opportunities is available, from joining College teams to competing at University level and beyond.