Sports Award winners 2025

The Taekwondo Club has, once again, topped the BUCS Medal Table, displaying their position as the preeminent University Taekwondo Club in the UK. Five gold, six silver, and three bronze medals were achieved at Championship level events, with additional medals across the programme totalling over 50. The Club had 8 players selected for the EUSA Taekwondo Championships. 

The energy Annie Loh brings to the Cheerleading Club is integral to the success of the club. Be that delivering 10 taster/tryout sessions during Welcome Week, coaching the Strike squad to a third undefeated season in a row, or hosting new ‘Flyer Zooms’ this year, open sessions for anyone wanting to improve their flexibility, Annie’s commitment to helping the members improve has been incredible.

The Rugby Club (Women’s) have delivered a wide range of activity to make sure that club is about more than rugby. Be it collaborations with other clubs and societies to raise awareness and fundraise around Pride, or celebrating diversity with support for members training through Ramadan, or building members confidence and security through an MMA Club collaboration, the Club has gone above and beyond to embrace the diverse UCL community. 

Trisevgeni “Tris” Papakonstantinou has been, for many years now, an outstanding karate practitioner, but this year has been a stellar one even by her standards. Two silver medals at BUCS, as well as a bronze medal at the Kofukan International, showcase her performances, while medals in every other competition she has entered indicate a consistency in performance only achieved through dedication and commitment to her sport. 

Joe Donaghue has represented Great Britain in fencing all around the world this year – from Tokyo to Turin, Paris to Cairo. Despite his international commitments, Joe represents UCL fencing club in any way to help the club; fencing injured, or with an unfamiliar weapon to ensure the club wins. 

King Chalapati wears many hats in the UCL Boat Club. He is a coach, a Vice President, but most importantly a champion. He is a champion of every member, a champion for Club projects, and a champion for doing the small jobs that make a club work. He does all of this, and does it all with a true positivity that lights up the club. 

Yoga & Meditation have put member welfare at the centre of their work this year. Growing their Yoga Families programme, as well as offering multiple opportunities to create safe spaces for members, has demonstrated their commitment to that goal. Be those accessible spaces for males, working with the POC network, or tea socials to allow members to check in with each other, the range of opportunities the club has created is a testament to their commitment. 

Alina Phang has been the driving force behind one of the most successful seasons the badminton club has had. Always prepared, always supportive, whatever is needed, Alina has already thought of it and solved it for her team, and the whole club. A supporter as well as Captain, every player on the team has benefited from Alina’s support in the way that means the most to them. 

Isabella “Bella” Gilbert is not just a remarkable athlete and leader, she is a role model who has profoundly impacted TeamUCL through her relentless dedication, innovative contributions, and inspiring personal journey. Her influence within UCL sport has been extraordinary, but just in this final year she has been the President of Muay Thai (the conclusion of a career that has seen female membership grow 450%), a Sports Rep, and a regular presence behind and in front of the camera to drive engagement and awareness of the great work done by TeamUCL clubs.

Losing a club’s worth of competitive members might have proved challenging for most clubs. Being displaced from your home gym on top of that, unsurmountable. Not for the Amateur Boxing Club, who took the chance to develop a structure pathway for student boxers, with a formal partnership with a local boxing gym giving the club a home for now and the future. Four BUCS medals (including one gold) was the result as Amateur Boxing built back stronger in 2024/25. 

The Badminton Club have grown their membership by 20% to over 350 members in 2024/25. Through a combination of social sessions, postgraduate sessions at UCL East, and collaborations with other clubs and societies the Club has put themselves at the heart of UCL life. Externally, the Women’s team were undefeated BUCS Premier (South) Champions while weekly volunteering at Regent’s High School saw the school club double in size.