Anna Hursey: Meet the teenage United Nations Young Champion making table tennis history for Great Britain
Anna Hursey is a history-maker.
The 17-year-old is set to become the first Welsh athlete to represent Great Britain in table tennis at the Olympic Games, after becoming the first Team GB player to secure a quota for Paris 2024.*
Her display at the European singles qualification tournament in Sarajevo last week was enough to earn the teenager the berth, and help achieve her dream of participating in the Olympics.
From shock to disbelief and excitement, the teen sensation has been going through all the emotions since the qualifier.
But who is Hursey? Read on to find out more about the player tipped to be table tennis’s next big European challenger…
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*As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Anna Hursey – United Nations Young Champion
Hursey has never been phased by her age, not when it comes to competing or making a difference in the world.
At 13, she accepted an invitation to become a United Nations Young Champion.
The Welsh sensation wanted to channel her energy into helping to save the planet as a Young Champion of the UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Framework.
“I am proud to be a Young Champion and am looking forward to working with UN Climate Change to help set sports on a path to a low-carbon future,” she said at the time.
It is a passion that has made her friends in high places, namely helping the President of the United States, Joe Biden, tackle climate change.
The US Embassy spoke with Hursey about ways they can work together to combat the issue.
“I think that loads of things are happening in the world, like earthquakes and hurricanes, and not everyone is taking notice of this. I think everyone should definitely take more notice and act upon it,” Hursey said.
“I think sportspeople have influence and many people play and watch sport, and climate change is about caring for your family and friends. Everyone is affected by climate change and sport can definitely influence change.
“I would really just like to use my voice to tell people about climate change and hopefully they will take notice and act upon it.”
Anna Hursey competing at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Training in China
Hursey’s career in table tennis really started to take off when she moved to the People's Republic of China to intensify her training.
“I’m training with 15 to 20-year-old boys and couldn’t train like this in Wales,” Anna told WalesOnline.
Such a move at her age was a big call to make, and showed just how dedicated the youngster was to making her dreams come true.
“We are proud of her,” Anna’s father, Laurence, said of the switch to the living in the powerhouse nation of the sport.
“She’s doing really well and could never have the level of training she is getting here back in Europe.”
It has been a sacrifice for Hursey, but one that seems to have hugely paid off.
Dreaming of an Olympic gold
Like many athletes, Hursey dreams of winning an Olympic gold.
No matter what happens next, she has already written her name in the history books as the first Welsh table tennis player to secure a quota berth for the Olympics.
But the teen, ranked no.98 in the senior world rankings, is hopeful that an appearance at Paris 2024 is just the start.
“I'm really excited for that and just to kind of experience every little thing, also to kind of remember it and just have the experience in an Olympics for hopefully many more Olympic Games,” she told the BBC.
“I've always wanted to go to the Olympics. And now I just feel a little bit shocked. But yeah I have worked really hard and I'm really excited to go.”