Fancy yourself as an Olympian? These are the UK unis churning out the most Olympic athletes

Do you ever feel ridiculously unaccomplished when, after leaving uni, all you’ve managed to do is adopt a nocturnal sleeping pattern, LinkedIn addiction and moved back in with your parents?  Well, it’s even worse when you learn that loads of grads from your uni are likely competing in the Olympics this year. The ACTUAL OLYMPICS!

Of all the Team GB athletes competing at this year’s Olympics, 26 per cent of them went or are currently studying at university. But which UK uni has produced the most Olympic athletes overall?

Luckily for us, Student Insurance specialist, The Insurance Emporium looked at the number of university of alumni from UK universities competing on Team GB in Paris to work out the universities you need to go to for the best chances of being an Olympian.

And, shock, the uni with the most Olympians this year is Loughborough University with 22 alumni competing in Paris. Having been ranked the best university in the world for sports-related subjects eight years running in the QS World rankings this comes as no huge surprise.

Swimming, hockey and athletics are the most popular sports Loughborough alumni are competing in and athletes include Beth Potter, Freya Colbert, Toby Robinson, Annie Campbell-Orde, Jake Wightman, Megan Jones, and Alex Haydock-Wilson.

Following Loughborough winning the silver medal is the University of Bath with 12 alumni competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics. The University of Bath is ranked 8th in the world for studying sports-related subjects by the QS World University Rankings.  Swimming, rowing and the pentathlon are a few of the sports Bath grads will be competing in and some of the athletes include: Tom Dean, Anna Hopkin, Helen Glover, Becky Wilde, Grace Crompton, and Alastair Chalmers.

Most Read

Right, here’s how popstar priest Reverend Richard Coles made his secretly whopping fortune

All the mega-famous actors who also auditioned for each Wicked role

Omg, a MAFS UK scandal has erupted as 2023 bride says she got with Kieran after filming!

So, these are the UK Universities to study at if you want the best chance at being an Olympian:

9. University of Leeds – 1 team GB athletes competing in Paris

8. University of Wolverhampton –  3 team GB athletes competing in Paris

=8. Open University – 3 team GB athletes competing in Paris

=8. Nottingham Trent University – 3 team GB athletes competing in Paris

=8. Cardiff Metropolitan University – 3 team GB athletes competing in Paris

7. University of Cambridge – 4 team GB athletes competing in Paris

=7. University of Southampton – 4 team GB athletes competing in Paris

=7. King’s College London – 4 team GB athletes competing in Paris

6. University of Edinburgh – 5 team GB athletes competing in Paris

=6. Newcastle University – 5 team GB athletes competing in Paris

=6. Durham University – 5 team GB athletes competing in Paris

=5. Sheffield Hallam University – 6 team GB athletes competing in Paris

=5. Oxford Brookes University – 6 team GB athletes competing in Paris

=5. Leeds Beckett University – 6 team GB athletes competing in Paris

4. University of Stirling – 7 team GB athletes competing in Paris

=4. St Mary’s University – 7 team GB athletes competing in Paris

3. University of Birmingham – 10 team GB athletes competing in Paris

2. University of Bath – 12 team GB athletes competing in Paris

1. Loughborough University – 22 team GB athletes competing in Paris

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• UK universities are crumbling: Could your uni be at serious risk of closing?

• Dr Alex to Amelia Dimz: All the vibey celebs with honorary degrees at this year’s ceremonies