Kian Gadsby
The University of Nottingham travel to Sheffield from 13th – 15th February to take on the best in the country at BUCS Nationals, with the best student-athletes from six sports coming together to compete for silverware.
The Green and Gold have a strong representation at the tournament, with competitors from Athletics, Badminton, Climbing, Fencing, Karate and Swimming all looking to win medals.
With so much action going on across the three-day event, Impact have dived through the schedule and come up with the key highlights and stories for Nottingham supporters to watch out.
Can Karate Continue to Dominate?
Last year, the University of Nottingham dominated the Karate event. They won a whopping 21 medals, with 11 of them being Gold, as they made the competition their own.
This included taking every single Kata medal available, while both Team Kumite titles also ended up in Nottingham’s hands. The successes saw them amass 219 BUCS Points, four times more than any other institution, to claim a fifth straight National Championship.
Although previous success is no guarantee if future titles, these triumphs mean the Green and Gold travel to Yorkshire expectant and gunning for victory. With the Karate finals taking place on Sunday 15th of February, we may see yet another glut of gold medals for Nottingham.
Will Athletics Step Up Without Goriola?
After storming to the gold medal at the first time of asking in the 2024 tournament, 60m hurdler Daniel Goriola followed up his success by defending the crown last time around to claim a second straight BUCS Nationals title and cement himself as the talisman of the UoN Athletics team.
However, due to his participation in the UK Indoor Championships, Goriola will not be travelling to the Sheffield this time around. This has prompted questions about who in the Athletics squad can step up and be the standard bearer for the Green and Gold.
A fourth-place finish in the Steel Cup this past weekend showed that the team has the talent to thrive without him. Ethan Usherwood has literally taken Goriola’s spot on the 60m hurdles, while Fern Kimber is a favourite to shine in the 3000m. Their relay teams are also a strong side to look out for, with the women’s side impressing by hunting down hosts Sheffield to snatch the gold medal at the death.
Can Fencing Recapture Phenomenal Form?
In the 2024/25 BUCS season, the University of Nottingham’s fencing side were untouchable as they swept all before them on the way to a host of team trophies.
The Men’s 1’s won the Premier North league and defended their National Championship title, while the 2’s also swept to a league and National Trophy double, with both sides remaining undefeated all year. The Women’s team also impressed, securing their National Championship crown after they defeated Durham in an enthralling encounter.
This didn’t quite transfer over into individual success. Despite being arguably the best team in the country, the Green and Gold only claimed two individual titles at the 2025 BUCS Nationals.
Fast forward to the present season, and the picture is less clear. The women’s team topped of the table after enjoying a perfect season. However, the competition is more congested on the men’s side, with Notts’ 1’s surrendering their Premier North title after a stunning campaign from St Andrews, with Durham also pushing them all the way in a hotly contested title race.
The Green and Gold still have the athletes capable of snatching medals. With individual silverware on the line, the question is can they finally step up and show why they are among the best in the UK?
Event Details
When is it? Events take place across Valentine’s weekend, with full schedules published on the BUCS website.
How can I watch? Anyone not travelling to Sheffield can catch the action live on YouTube, as BUCS will be streaming the event on their official channel.
Kian Gadsby
Featured image courtesy of BUCS Sport via Flickr.
In article image 1 courtesy of BUCS Sport via Flickr.
In article image 2 courtesy of BUCS Sport via Flickr.
In article image 3 courtesy of BUCS Sport via Flickr
