The LUCA Outdoor Championships returned to glorious Battersea sunshine as student athletes from across London and the South East came together to compete for individual and team glory.
In total, a record 250 athletes from 20 universities took part, competing in a packed schedule of track and field events.
King’s won a third LUCA Outdoor title in a row in dramatic fashion. As teams gathered to hear the results, Athletics Chair Christian Pugsley announced that UCL had won the final edition of the University of London Intercollegiate Track and Field Championships by 7 points. Historically, anytime a UL team had won the UL Championship they went on to win the LUCA Outdoor trophy. But history took a dramatic turn when the LUCA results were announced and King’s had taken the championship by a single point.
In truth, it would have taken two extra points for UCL to win the LUCA title, with King’s ahead in the medal table with 11 golds.
A most valuable player
In the last two seasons, Lateefah Agberemi (KCL) had claimed the title of ‘Most Valuable Player (MVP)’. Despite multiple podium finishes, the title this year went to teammate Isabel Walton.
Records fall
A total of seven LUCA Outdoor records fell. Two time Outdoor MVP Lateefah Agberemi (KCL) broke the triple jump record with a distance of 12.49. The previous record, set by Yasmin Lakin (LSE) had stood since 2016. The men’s triple jump record also fell, with David Onwudiwe (UEL) jumping 13.91.
In the sprints, both the women’s 200m and 400m records were broken. Michelvi Wamba (Brunel) broke the 200m record with 24.33 and Elena Rodopoulou broke the 400m record with 58.05. The men’s 400m was also broken, with Niall Hutton (KCL) setting a time of 48.03.
Alex Goodall (Imperial) became the first athlete to hold both indoor and outdoor 1500m records by beating the previous record by fractions of a second. Team-mate Oskar Fraser-Krauss set a new 800m record with a time of 01:57.18.
Relay Magic
Arguably the highlight of the day came in the relays. King’s were close to not being able to field a 4X400 women’s team, but some last minute persuasion put forward a team which won the race. The result made up for KCL’s disqualification in the women’s 4X100.
The relay medley was hotly contested in a race which swung back and forth between KCL and UCL. The purples came away victorious by five seconds.
Looking Ahead
As the 2024–25 season draws to a close, LUCA would like to thank all the athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers who made this year’s championships, and indeed the whole season, such a success. Congratulations to all those who competed, and thank you for making the LUCA Outdoor Championships a true highlight of the university athletics calendar.
Post Views: 1