Record breaking performances sees Manchester Met secure 17 medals at BUCS Nationals

Manchester Met enjoyed its most successful BUCS Nationals to date last weekend (13-15 Feb), returning from Sheffield with an impressive 17 medals – more than double last year’s total – and a series of exceptional record‑breaking performances in athletics, karate and swimming.

Across three days of elite student sport, Manchester Met athletes delivered standout results on the national stage, with multiple BUCS records, three medals for debutant swimmer Bruce Dee, and dominant displays from established champions including Ed Mildred, Kieran Williams, Nathaniel Dyas and Lucy Armitage.

This year’s overall medal haul reflects the ongoing growth of the University’s performance sport programme and the strength of new talent joining the squad.

Swimming

Para‑swimmer Bruce Dee produced one of the standout performances of the championships. Competing at his first BUCS Nationals, Dee claimed three gold medals – in the S6 200m Individual Medley, SB6 100m Breaststroke, and S6 50m Butterfly – all in BUCS record‑breaking times.

Already a British and World Record holder in the SB6 100m Breaststroke, Dee added the three long course BUCS titles to the Short Course individual men’s para‑swimming title he won earlier in the season.

He first claimed gold at Short Course, earning enough points across his events to be crowned Individual Men’s Para‑Swimming Champion (Short Course). His Long Course gold medals then secured the title of Individual Men’s Para‑Swimming Champion (Long Course). His achievements mean he not only topped the podium in every race he entered, but also finished as the overall men’s para‑swimming champion in both formats.

Elite swimmer Ed Mildred continued his outstanding form, defending his long course 100m Butterfly title and breaking his own BUCS record in the process. Mildred also added golds in the 100m Freestyle and 200m Butterfly, cementing his position as one of the most dominant swimmers in university sport.

In para‑swimming, Ela Letton‑Jones secured gold in the S12 100m Backstroke – also in a BUCS record time – alongside bronze in the S12 50m Freestyle. She additionally set a new BUCS record in the S12 100m Freestyle, with confirmation pending on whether the performance will qualify her for the upcoming European Para Swimming Championships.

Grace Robinson added to the medal tally with silver in the SM14 200m Individual Medley, where she also broke the existing BUCS record, and bronze in the S14 100m Freestyle.

Kieran Williams produced a strong campaign, earning three medals: silver in both the 100m Butterfly and 400m Freestyle, and gold in the 100m Freestyle.

Athletics

On the track, Lucy Armitage delivered a sensational performance in the women’s 800m, taking gold in a new BUCS record time. Teammate Nathaniel Dyas added to the athletics success with a superb silver in the 400m. Armitage broke the BUCS Record by over two seconds, a record which had been in place since 2007.

Karate

In the Karate arena, Grace Baron secured a well‑earned bronze medal in the Kata event, adding yet another sport to the University’s multi‑disciplinary medal success this year.

Phil Cook, Head of Performance Sport at Manchester Met, said: “The performances from all the athletes this weekend illustrates the depth of talent we have at Man Met. There were some outstanding performances by our sport scholars this year, and coming away with 17 medals — 10 of them gold — highlights this talent pool backed by increased investment, targeted recruitment, and the work our coaches and practitioners have been doing, Congratulations to all the athletes that took part.”

Medal summary