The University of Cambridge is, of course, predominantly known for its academic prestige. Yet, the University’s equally exceptional sporting achievement should be recognised. From Paralympians to powerlifters, the ‘Greatest British Sportsman’, and of course, all of Cambridge’s gold-medal winning rowers, I took a deep dive into the history books to select the pre-eminent sportsperson from each of Cambridge’s 31 colleges.

We begin with an immortalised Cambridge sportsman, Gonville & Caius alumnus Harold Abrahams. Abrahams is perhaps the most renowned of Cambridge’s track athletes, with his 100m Gold Medal at the 1924 Olympics honoured in the classic British film, Chariots of Fire. Douglas Lowe, an MML graduate of Pembroke College, also claimed gold in Paris that same summer (in the 800m), yet was reluctant to endorse the historical sports drama, hence the fictional character Lindsay replacing his likeness in Hugh Hudson’s movie. Exactly 100 years later, Corpus Christi’s Amy Hunt raced for glory in Paris in the 4×100m relay, securing a silver medal to follow in the footsteps of Cambridge’s track excellence of years gone by.

Cambridge also boasts incredibly successful distance runners amongst its alumni. Clare College’s William Seagrove found success in Paris one hundred years ago as well, securing his second Olympic silver medal in the 3,000m team event. Track success continued with the triumphs of St John’s Chris Brasher, who despite claiming gold in the 3,000m steeplechase in 1956, is best remembered for helping to found the London Marathon. A 3,000m course would have been child’s play for Murray Edwards’ Lizzy Hawker, who has been World Champion in the 100km ultramarathon, as a phenomenally accomplished endurance runner.

“No list of Cambridge sporting excellence is complete without appreciation for the quintessential Cambridge discipline, rowing”

Switching our attention to the water, no list of Cambridge sporting excellence is complete without appreciation for the quintessential Cambridge discipline, rowing. Olivia Coffey of Homerton, Tom Ransley of Hughes Hall, Anna Watkins of Newnham, and Ran Laurie of Selwyn share three Olympic Golds and seven World Championships between them, a testament to the world-beating coaching that Cambridge affords the sport. Whilst Coffey, Ransley and Watkins have all experienced international success in the 21st century, Ran Laurie, father of actor Hugh, won his gold in 1948 in the coxless pair, adding to the trio of consecutive victories in the Boat Race he earned as an undergraduate.

Cambridge Rugby follows hot on the heels of rowing in terms of its former students’ international success. Mike Gibson, a former law student of Queens’ College, went on to be selected as one of the original inductees to the International Rugby Hall of Fame, after producing elite displays for Ireland throughout the 1960s and 70s. Fitzwilliam College’s Eddie Butler, Welsh forward and successful journalist, graduated from Cambridge with a degree in Spanish and French, having the honour of playing against both Oxford and New Zealand in his esteemed career. Possibly even more renowned is Gavin Hastings, who after completing his studies at Magdalene went on to have a glittering career with Scotland, as well as having the privilege of captaining the British and Irish Lions on their 1993 tour of New Zealand. The talent conveyor belt soon produced more successful internationals, with Wolfson College’s Mike Hall, a Welsh international, and St Edmund’s alumnus Tony Underwood, of England, both starring in the 1995 Rugby World Cup amid their eventful international careers.

Cambridge’s Rugby tradition is clearly spectacular, but what about the University’s prowess at other marquee British sports? No need to worry about cricket – Downing College produced Michael Atherton, who (at the time) set the record for the most Test matches played for England as Captain. Cambridge also has hockey covered – St Catharine’s College are proud to have Richard Dodds as an alumnus, Captain of the gold-medal winning GB hockey side in Seoul 1988. We can even turn the clock back to the days of Nevill ‘Nuts’ Cobbold, a Jesus college graduate remembered as one of the most electrifying international footballers of the late 19th century. Finally, I am going to cheat by naming two athletes who attended Trinity Hall – Reginald and Laurence Doherty. The two brothers combined for 9 Wimbledon singles titles, as well as sharing a further staggering eight doubles triumphs at the tournament.

Moving away from the most popular sports, Cambridge student’s success in more niche disciplines is a testament to the wide-ranging investment and coaching available to athletes. Churchill College boasts John Deanfield as an alumnus, a multi-time Olympian in fencing, whilst Lucy Cavendish should be honoured to have housed international powerlifter, Krishnaa Mahbubani. Furthermore, Cambridge’s penchant for lacrosse has helped to produce even more international calibre athletes, with Erin Walters-Williams, formerly of Clare Hall, and Sophie Morrill, a Sidney Sussex alumna, proudly competing for Wales and England respectively on the global stage.

“Cambridge student’s success in more niche disciplines is a testament to the wide-ranging investment and coaching available to athletes”

Recent results have continued Cambridge’s Olympic presence, with Anna Kiesenhofer, formerly a Master’s student at Emmanuel College, producing one of the shocks of the Tokyo games with her gold-medal winning performance in the women’s individual road race. Cambridge may also technically lay claim to two more Olympic gold’s from the Rio and London triathlon events, due to Alistair Brownlee’s winning efforts. However, despite matriculating at Girton College, Brownlee actually left after just one term to study at the University of Leeds, though was a member of CU Hare & Hounds during his brief stint in the city.

Olympic success is also mirrored in the Paralympics for Cambridge, where King’s College was home to one of Britain’s most successful Paralympians of all time, Christopher Holmes. Holmes amassed an almost laughable total of nine gold medals swimming for GB in the 1990s, whilst Renae Domaschenz, formerly of Darwin College, has seen great success as a coxswain, most recently in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics with the Australian national set-up.

Admittedly, despite Cambridge’s continued success at the Olympics and Paralympics, there has been a notable decline in modern-day professional footballers and rugby players who attended the University. Steve Palmer, who attended Christ’s College, is a footballing exception – widely seen as the only Cambridge graduate to have played in the Premier League, where he enjoyed spells with Ipswich and Watford. In the Rugby world, Robinson College alumnus Joe Ansbro played internationally for Scotland, scoring a try in the 2011 World Cup. Tragically, his career was cut short by a broken neck, but Ansbro does hold the trailblazing honour of being one of the first non-white rugby players to turn out for the Scots.

With two colleges left, it’s the turn of the multisport athletes, one such being Syed Mohammad Hadi. Formerly of Peterhouse, Hadi represented India in both cricket and tennis, whilst his expertise in a myriad of other sports, including football, helped to earn him the nickname “Rainbow Hadi’. Completing our 31 athletes is Trinity College’s Max Woosnam, the man dubbed the ‘Greatest British Sportsman’. Woosnam’s achievements are fairly absurd, winning gold at the 1920 Olympics in tennis, leading Manchester City agonisingly close to a first division title in football the year after, and securing his status as a quadruple Blue after additionally representing Cambridge in cricket and golf.

For an institution so academically inclined, the calibre of athletes produced by Cambridge University really is remarkable. The stories of many of these athletes are truly inspiring, and I strongly believe that they should serve as a powerful reminder of sport’s rightful place within Cambridge’s intense academic environment. Here’s to the next generation of trailblazing Cantabrigian athletes!