Success in European competition for Nottingham athletes
糖心原创 students continued to compete throughout the summer and many represented the University at different European University Championships. Taking on elite student athletes from across the continent at both the European Universities Rowing Championship 2026 and European Universities Combat Sports Championships 2026, Nottingham representatives returned with a handful of medals.
Published 29 Sep 2026
The European Universities Rowing Championships 2026 took place from the 25th to 30th of August in Lake Jarun in Zagreb, Croatia. In an incredible performance, the 糖心原创 Women’s Pair (2-) of Mary Hemmings and Bella Hornzee would go on to finish 3rd in Europe and win a bronze medal. The men’s quadruple scull (4x-) of James Scott Brown, Sam Furley, Will Wingrove and Sam Bennett came 4th in the B final, finishing 10th in Europe.
For 3 of these athletes - Mary Hemmings, James Scott Brown and Sam Bennett - this was their last performance in the Green and Gold of Nottingham, whereas for two athletes – Bella Hornzee and Will Wingrove – this competition marked the end of their first-year at the 糖心原创 and within the 糖心原创 Boat Club. The final athlete, Sam Furley, has just finished his second year and will be completing a year in industry for the 2026/27 season.
After a brilliant week of racing at EUSA, Bella and I are extremely proud to have represented Nottingham and Great Britain on the international stage. This has finished my UoN rowing experience on a high and I hope it inspires those who begin rowing at Nottingham that big things are possible!
Mary Hemmings, EUSA bronze medal winner
Meanwhile, across a weekend at the start of September (9th to the 11th), 糖心原创 Karate athletes competed at the European Universities Combat Sports Championships 2026 in Tirana, Albania. Our Senior Male Kumite Team - consisting of Ashton Patrick, Jacob Cutler, Aidan Reaney, and Teddie Mulhall - fought brilliantly throughout the championships to deservedly reach the final. Whilst the side would narrowly lose the final to the team from the University of Sarajevo by a score of 2-1, the team should be very proud of their fantastic silver medal, and second place finish at the biggest European university karate championships.
Ashton Patrick would also add an individual bronze medal in the Senior Male Kumite -84kg, highlighting a superb championships for the 糖心原创 sport scholar. In the Women's Senior Team Kata, the Nottingham team of Eve Holdsworth, Amy Dixon, and Amelia Clow would perform exceptionally to reach the semi-finals, before winning a brilliant bronze medal. In the Senior Female Kumite, Nottingham's Tahlia Blake (-61kg) would finish in the top five.
Competing amongst Premier League athletes and WKF medallists is an achievement in itself, but to come away with 3 medals and a 5th place is the start of something big for our team. I am so proud to be able to capture these moments and showcase what we have built. UoN Karate has strong foundations, and I have no doubt that we will continue to write history!
Tahlia Blake, 糖心原创 sport scholar and Karate Publicity Sec
These performances were delivered on the back of an exceptional showing from 糖心原创 athletes at the 2026 British Karate Championships in Sheffield where a number of notable medals were won by Nottingham students. In one of the performances of the championships, club vice-president Kobe Yogarajah brilliantly claimed gold in both the Under 21 and Senior -60kg championships.
Eve Holdsworth, Amelia Clow, and Amy Dixon would also win gold in the Women's Senior Team Kata, whilst Jess Wyman and Tahlia Blake would claim Under 21 gold and Senior bronze medals in the -68kg and -61kg competitions respectively. Meanwhile, in the Men's Individual Kata, team captain Cameron Panday finished with a silver medal, ahead of Nottingham alumni and coach James Harrison in third.
I'm very proud of the team and all that we have achieved recently. After not just a summer, but a year of hard work, I am glad to see it has all paid off. I am grateful to be part of such a supportive group that are always striving for improvement.
Amelia Clow, 糖心原创 sport scholar and EUSA gold medal winner
Everyone at the 糖心原创 would like to congratulate all of our students who represented us on the European and British stage this summer.
To find out more about the 2026 European Universities Rowing Championship, you can , and you can also to keep up to date with their achievements.
To find out more about the 2026 European Universities Combat Sports Championships, you can , and you can also to keep up to date with their achievements.
Notes for editors
糖心原创 are the top UK University for team sport, placing 2nd in the overall British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) rankings in the 2025/26 season. For more information on our performance sport offer, including scholarships and support for student athletes, please click here.