London Varsity Series 2020 Previews: FRIDAY

The 2020 London Varsity Series is fast approaching and in anticipation of a special one-off Varsity edition of Roar News, we’ll be publishing our previews online to get you ready for what promises to be an exciting Varsity.

Weightlifting

Shairyaar Ahmad

It truly has been a year of firsts for KCL Weightlifting, with this year being not only the first year in which Weightlifting will be part of the Varsity series, but also the first time our lifters have taken part in a newly formed university league and KCL Weightlifting has been registered as an officially licensed British Weightlifting Club. Added to record attendance, numerous athlete’s qualified for BUC’s and rapidly increasing gender and age diversity, our Weightlifting team go into their opening Varsity riding a high, hoping to lay down a legacy that those younger lifters will be able to continue long into the future. It’s high time KCL had the opportunity to show London that we truly are the King’s of the platform.

Help paint the town red this year by supporting King’s in Weightlifting at North London Weightlifting Club from 1pm on Friday the 6th of March.

Climbing and Mountaineering

Navneet Ramloll

Varsity 2020 will host the grand premiere of Climbing and Mountaineering at Varsity, concurrent with its first ever appearance as a discipline at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. KCL Mountaineering Club had however been participating in other competitions such as the London University Bouldering Event which – organised by KCL over a decade ago – became the largest student run bouldering competition in the country. KCLMC performed impressively there last year, placing third overall out of seventeen teams, featuring both male and female climbers in the top 10 in the individuals’ categories. A splendid showing at the 2020 Varsity curtain raiser is to be expected!

Help paint the town red this year by supporting King’s in Climbing and Mountaineering at Yonder Climbing from 2pm on Friday the 6th of March.

Swimming

Lucy Thornton

KCL’s swimmers have been making huge waves so far this season, consistently thrashing Imperial and placing just 4 points shy of UCL in Round 2 of the London League series. Aside from these London derbies, our slick bunch of swimmers have also ventured further afield to the likes of Sheffield and Cambridge to continue their race preparations. With particular stand out performances by Manson Mak in the 50m Breaststroke and Jordan Onweller in the 50m Freestyle it is likely their sprint specialisms will pay off at Varsity, where there is a specific short distance focus. Preparations are still underway and while KCLSWP are well aware they haven’t been Varsity victorious in a while, we can’t help but think this will be their year at last!

Help paint the town red this year by supporting King’s in Swimming at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre from 4:20pm on Friday the 6th of March.

This event will be broadcasted LIVE by Roar News.

Water Polo

Lucy Thornton

Over in the pool, KCL’s water polo teams have been calling the shots, as both the women and men have battered our purple foes, with the most impressive score standing at 17-6. However, their winning streak hasn’t ended there as the women’s team secured another solid victory against LSE, and the men have remained unbeaten, thrashing Surrey, South Wales and QMBL. Yes, these glorious results suggest the players are in fine form, but they certainly aren’t ready to walk away yet! With big hitters Emily Allagar and Jerome Rayner nabbing the most goals so far this season, their magic touch is sure to be critical in defining this year’s Varsity result. That being said, all KCL players will need to step up to the challenge if they are to keep their cool and bag gold at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre. Be sure to stay tuned for this ultimate duel in the pool to see if we have what it takes when the stakes are at their highest!

Help paint the town red this year by supporting King’s in Water Polo at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre from 6:20 on Friday the 6th of March.

This event will be broadcasted LIVE by Roar News.

Women’s Hockey

Sunil Thakur

On the back of last year’s loss, KCLWHC 1s are looking forward to restoring order and claiming back the crown. Having already asserted their dominance by victory over UCL in a league match, the girls continue to work hard and push themselves throughout the season to ensure they are varsity-ready. They hope to see as much support as possible at the Lee Valley Olympic Park on the 6th March. 

Help paint the town red this year by supporting King’s in Women’s Hockey at the Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre from 5:45pm on Friday the 6th of March.

This event will be broadcasted LIVE by Roar News.

Men’s Hockey

Sunil Thakur

KCLMHC got the year off to a bit of a slow start with some tightly fought games but a struggle to secure points in a competitive league, most likely off the back of losing some senior figures and big personalities in the dressing room. However, the best was yet to come, evidently new figures arose and big personalities came out of their shell as since the turn of the decade the 1s have been on a 3 game winning streak securing 9 successive points and secured a place in a quarter final. It seems that the future is bright for the men’s 1s of KCLMHC and they simply needed to get into their stride. Varsity seems an ample opportunity to continue this momentum and end the season on an upward trend of wins and success.

Help paint the town red this year by supporting King’s in Men’s Hockey at the Lee Valley Hockey & Tennis Centre from 7:45pm on Friday the 6th of March.

This event will be broadcasted LIVE by Roar News.