The winning Imperial College London team
(Picture: Handout)Imperial College London was today celebrating a record-equalling fourth University Challenge title.
Four students from Imperial defeated a team from the University of Reading by 10 points in the final on BBC Two Monday night.
The Imperial team said they hoped their victory would inspire future quizzers, while student Fatima Sheriff said practising for the quiz was the “most fun I have ever had.”
Imperial’s win comes after victories in 1996, 2001 and 2020, meaning it now ranks with Magdalen College, Oxford and the University of Manchester as the joint most successful teams in the quiz tournament’s history. Each have won four times.
Team Captain Michael Mays, a PhD student in computational fluid dynamics, said: “Being on University Challenge has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience — and winning the competition this year is truly unbelievable.”
The team was made up of Mr Mays, Ms Sheriff, Gilbert Jackson and Max Zeng, supported by reserve Felix Swift Roberts.
Ms Sheriff, studying for an MSc in science communication, said: “The real gift is the team camaraderie, the bonding over stupid facts at silly hours and the in-jokes we have. The months of training are the most fun I’ve ever had.”
To reach the final, Imperial beat Emmanuel College, Cambridge in the semi-finals and other teams including University of Exeter and St John’s College, Cambridge.
Imperial’s Provost Professor Ian Walmsley said: “We are incredibly proud of our Imperial team and congratulate them on this historic victory.
“Collaboration, creative thinking and deep knowledge are all part of our commitment to excellence at Imperial, and the team has all of these qualities in abundance.”
