Kian Gadsby
To represent your country is a dream that many hold but few realise. From the joy of finding out you are on the team, to pulling on the jersey and then hearing the national anthem echo across the arena, it is truly an honour for those who experience it. But what is it really like to live that dream?
Whilst many of us were enjoying our summer holidays, the best student athletes from across the world assembled in Germany to compete in the FISU World University Games.
After a glorious 2024/25 campaign, which saw our sports teams collectively lift 25 National Championship titles, the University of Nottingham had eight athletes called up by their countries to compete at this tournament and showcase their talents to the entire world.
Louis Taiwo and James Jeal competed in Fencing after a scintillating season, while Louisa Piper earned her place on the Archery team after clinching the BUCS title. Sam Mostowfi and Luke Marsh were both called up to represent Great Britain in Gymnastics, and there was also international representation of the university, as Megan Sng was picked for Hong Kong’s Swimming team.
Of course, the athletes did not travel to Germany just to take part, and two Green and Gold athletes won medals this summer, as Matthew Howell and James Hazell made the podium in Taekwondo and Wheelchair Basketball respectively. Howell won Bronze for Team GB’s first medal of the games, while Hazell earned Silver after playing a crucial part in the 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball side’s run to the final.
In this article, which is part of our Students’ Sporting Stories series, we shine a spotlight on the sensational performances of our student athletes. To do this, Impact caught up with a few of the stars to find out just how much representing your country really means to those competing.
“The highlight of my season” – Louisa Piper Proud of Experience
After enjoying a brilliant year, where she dominated the recurve category at university level, Louisa was tasked with competing on the international stage as she was called up to the archery squad for these championships.
Representing GB is an ambition held by many, and Louisa confirmed that the feeling of wearing the weight of a nation was unparalleled. Having been around the national setup for the past eight years, she expressed that the feeling only gets stronger over time due to the relationship forged between athletes who enjoy the same opportunities.
“For me, representing my country is about pride: standing on the line wearing GB colours and hearing the national anthem play when you win a medal, but it is also about the teammates and competitors-turned-friends that are around me in those moments.”
When looking ahead to her future beyond the tournament, Piper expressed her desire to use the experience to fuel her development and allow her to continue to compete in such competitions in years to come.
“The highlight of my season was competing at the World University Games in Germany. It was amazing to take part in my first multi-sport event and feel part of a wider team. The atmosphere and venues were incredible, and it was an experience that has inspired me as I look ahead to the 2027 (FISU) Games in Korea.”
Fencing Stars Rewarded after Superb Season
As sporting campaigns go, few university teams have ever had a more dominating season than the University of Nottingham’s Fencing team during the 2024/25 season.
The Men’s teams swept all before them in a blistering campaign. The first team won the BUCS Premier North league undefeated and defended their National Championship title with a convincing victory over Durham in the final, while the 2s won the National Trophy and Midlands Tier One league title, also without tasting defeat.
To show the scale of the Green and Gold’s dominance of the sport, the Men’s 3s finished second in the Midlands Tier One, only losing clashes against the 2s across the whole year.
Meanwhile, the Women’s team secured the National Championship crown after they defeated Durham in an enthralling encounter. The Women 2s also won their Midlands Tier One league undefeated, but they suffered a frustrating defeat to Warwick in the Trophy to deny the side a clean sweep.
Such devastating dominance was bound to attract the attention of Team GB scouts, and this saw Louis Taiwo and James Jeal called up as part of the strong squad for the trip to Germany.
Although neither walked away with a medal, both performed admirably and should be incredibly proud of their displays.
We spoke with Louis Taiwo to find out exactly what it meant to him to achieve his lifelong ambitions and represent Team GB.
“Representing GB has been an ambition of mine ever since I was a kid. I am grateful that I finally got that opportunity whilst having teammates and friends beside me. The feeling cannot be topped.
“Participating at the FISU student world games in Germany. Getting to share the stage with other amazing athletes from all different sports. The end result is not what I hoped for but this is the nature of sport. Some days it isn’t yours, but you have to learn from those mistakes in order to evolve as an athlete and go for the win next time”
When pressed about his future aims, from his tone, Louis’ ambition was obvious. He expressed his desire to continue to win at the university level, whilst also shining on the international stage. If he achieves his dreams, then we may see him in LA shortly.
“I hope to go 3 for 3 at Big BUCS Wednesday, potentially claiming our 3rd men’s championship in a row and we have the desire for another undefeated season alongside an ideal BUCS Individual medal.
“In terms of my personal career, I aim to continue competing at the top level with hopes of competing at the senior European and World championships, which will one day set me on the path to compete in and win at the Olympics.”
Taekwondo: Howell Bags Bronze
Another University of Nottingham student, Matthew Howell, made headlines as he secured Team GB’s first medal of the games.
The Taekwondo superstar, who is a two-time European university games G1 champion, after successes in 2022 and 2023, won bronze in the -68kg category, kickstarting his team’s championships and securing Britain’s 3rd ever medal in the sport.
Understandably, Howell, who graduated from the university this summer, was ecstatic with his performance, and he spoke to Impact about what this success meant to him.
“This feels amazing because it will be my last competition as a student and it was a very prestigious event in the taekwondo world as well. This result has put me into the top 10 in the world for this month’s rankings.
“It means a lot to me to represent my country because I had to work very hard alongside my studies at Nottingham to get into the national team.”
GB Students ended the tournament 10th in the medal table, having won 18 medals overall.
If you’ve been inspired by these performances, you can learn more about the 2025 World University Games by visiting the official website and BUCS news pages, while you can gather more information about the University of Nottingham’s athletic achievements by following our coverage of sport across the season.
Kian Gadsby
Featured image courtesy of BUCS Sport. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @uon_archery via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @uon_fencing via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 3 courtesy of @bucssport via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
For more content including uni news, reviews, entertainment, lifestyle, features and so much more, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like our Facebook page for more articles and information on how to get involved.
For further sports content and ways to get involved, follow @uonimpactsport on Twitter and Instagram, and like the Impact Sport Facebook page!
