Two of Nottingham’s most famous sporting alumni have been inducted into the University’s brand new sporting Hall of Fame.

The two alumni are:

Dr Deng Yaping
Widely regarded as the world’s greatest ever table tennis player and voted Chinese athlete of the 20th century, Deng Yaping’s achievements include winning four Olympic golds and numerous World titles during an eight period of domination in international women’s table tennis from 1991.

She said: “I’m very honoured and happy to be part of the Hall of Fame – this University has given me so much and I love this campus and the people here. I’d like to thank Sir David for the opportunities the University gave me and to be able to come back this time. ”

Dr Tim Brabants
Double Olympic medallist Tim Brabants made history by winning Team GB’s first ever canoeing medal when he achieved gold during the K1 1000m at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. He graduated the University of Nottingham with a degree in Medicine in 2002 and even won his first medal whilst still studying at the University.

He commented: “It’s a massive honour to be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside Deng Yaping, she’s quite something – an Olympic legend. The University were a great support to me during my time at Nottingham; they encouraged me to excel in my sport and to complete my degree by allowing me the time I needed to train and study.”

The two inductions to the Hall of Fame took place during this week’s Sporting Excellence Awards ceremony, which was hosted by University of Nottingham Sport following the official opening of the new £40 million David Ross Sports Village.

The ceremony saw guests, alumni and the current cohort of elite student athletes join together to celebrate the University’s past and present sporting achievements.

Alongside the two alumni presentations, the ceremony also celebrated achievements of current student athletes and recognised individuals and teams who had excelled during the 2016/17 season: awardees included triple British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) table tennis champion Haoyu Liu, who is currently studying at Nottingham as the first Deng Yaping sports scholar.