BU sport scholar Chloe Thomas has been selected to represent Wales in table tennis at the upcoming Commonwealth Championships.
In December this year Chloe will be joining her team mates in Surat, India, to compete on the international stage. It won’t be her first experience in the international sporting arena though, as she competed in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year, helping Team Wales finish fifth overall.
Chloe moved to Bournemouth not just to study, but also to progress in her sport. She trained full time at Chapel Gate for three years to achieve her main goal which was to compete in the Glasgow Games. She’s now studying full time on the BSc (Hons) Nutrition course while still training, playing Swedish league and continuing to represent Wales. The result of that hard work is being selected to play in the Commonwealth Championships where she hopes to finish in the top five again.
As one of BU’s sport scholars, Chloe regularly represents the university in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) leagues. The Women’s Table Tennis Team are currently competing in BUCS Western 1A league and have won all of their fixtures so far.
She spoke about her experience and the upcoming Games: “For the December games, we do have more pressure on us as a team due to our number one [player] retiring earlier this season. We finished 5th last year so hopefully we can equal it or improve on it even without our number one [player].”
“At the moment my schedule is hectic; balancing physical training, table tennis training and tournaments with being Varsity team captain and my academic studies. I am looking forward to India, but I know the whole welsh team must believe it can be done and look not at what is but what can be.
Michael Barry is the Varsity Manager at sportBU, he commented: “It’s a great opportunity to work with someone of this level who will add professionalism to the programme and will continue to showcase sportBU’s and increase its exposure to the wider community during team matches and individual events.”
Sports Performance Manager at BU is Martin Wells, has been monitoring her performance. He said: “Chloe has quietly gone about her business training with great intensity and attitude on a daily basis. She is already having an impact on table tennis at BU which, as a program, will rapidly expand because of her presence.
“She is one of our top female scholars at the university. We wish her every success in her personal sporting ventures and hope she continues to fly the flag as a great sporting ambassador for BU.”
