University of Cambridge student Anant Gupta (MEng Computer Science, Fitzwilliam, 2026) has achieved a phenomenal second place in the Men’s Open Age Singles at this year’s Racketlon British Championships.
Racketlon, a multisport event in which competitors play sequential games of table tennis, badminton, squash and tennis, originated in Finland and Sweden and has been contested internationally since 2001.
Held from 11-12 April 2026, the British Championships took place at the Parklangley Club, Beckenham. We caught up with Anant to discuss his excellent result.
You've just finished second in the Men's Open Age Singles at the British Racketlon Championships. How does that feel?
Part of me is very happy. I put in a lot of work over the last few months, and to reach the final of the British Championships really rewards those efforts. I definitely didn’t imagine myself getting to such a level when I started playing in racketlon tournaments only a few years ago. That being said, part of me is eager to learn from the tournament and take that forward into my training and future competitions, to push my game further.
Many people won’t be familiar with racketlon. What makes it so exciting as a sport?
Racketlon takes well-established sports and puts them into a unique format by totalling up points across them. So, quite literally, every point counts. That creates a very different mentality when playing, and the aspect of playing four different racket sports invites lots more variability in scorelines than one might expect from any one of them individually. At Cambridge, the best part about playing racketlon for me is getting to be part of multiple sport clubs. It’s nice to meet so many different people and get involved in each club’s training sessions, socials, committees, and the general community surrounding each sport.
How did you get into the sport?
I started with just playing casual badminton and squash from about 10 years old. I began training more consistently at 15, to play in more competitive matches and tournaments. At this point, I was aware of racketlon through my dad, who had picked it up after his years of playing national-level badminton. However, it was only until about 17 that I picked up table tennis and tennis to actually play the sport. I took a gap year before university, partly for work, but also to spend lots of time training in each of the four sports. Some weeks, I’d reach up to 25 hours of training, and trying to fit that around the hours of a full-time job was quite intense. Nevertheless, I fell in love with racketlon and never looked back.
You've been supported by the University of Cambridge Athlete Performance Programme (UCAPP). Did it help you achieve this result?
I heard about UCAPP halfway through my first year, from a then-UCAPP athlete in the university squash club (CUSRC). With a fair few national and international racketlon tournaments under my belt at this point, I decided to apply and have been on the programme at the start of my second year. UCAPP has been undoubtedly helpful in helping me get this result, but also in supporting my general development as an athlete. From Tristan Coles, Luc Sinnadurai and Josh Gooden’s assistance in strength and conditioning sessions to James Powley and James Barclay’s sport-specific coaching, the suite of facilities and staff is nothing short of invaluable. I'm honoured to be part of the programme and its community of high-achieving athletes.
Has it been challenging balancing your studies with your sporting endeavours?
It definitely can be difficult. The multi-faceted nature of racketlon means it has a large time commitment on top of work; arranging sessions for different sports even around each other can be challenging.That being said, I really value the break it gives me from my degree. I have an arguably unusual order of priorities: I schedule my training sessions in first and then fit in work around them. Training sessions usually have set times, and too many can’t be done in one day. My degree, however, is quite flexible – with my computer science work not being bound to a lab, studying can be done at any place and at any time. I trust myself to get the necessary work done, whether that’s on trains to BUCS matches, on coaches to Varsity matches, or even just at the USC in between training sessions.
What advice would you give to any prospective Cambridge student looking to pursue a sporting discipline as you have done?
Short and simple: get stuck in. There are so many amazing sport societies at Cambridge, and there are so many benefits to joining any one of them. Not only is it great for your physical and mental health, but to train with and play side-by-side with a group of like-minded students, especially at an event like a Varsity match, is an unparalleled feeling. Don’t be scared to dive head-first into the opportunities available.
