HNC is delighted to reveal that following his success in Wheelchair Tennis, HNC student Lucas has recently taken up a new sport, Pickleball, securing a gold medal at the recent Wheelchair Pickleball tournament at the John Charles Centre for Sport in Leeds – with further ambitions to compete internationally.
Pickleball is a unique racket/paddle sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, though it has its own unique rules, court layout and paddles. It can be played in singles or doubles and both indoors and outdoors – and was first played in the UK in 2011. Lucas, who previously had a very successful wheelchair tennis career (find out more here), has recently taken on a new challenge with Pickleball, and has been playing this unique sport for the past year, and competes in both the wheelchair and able-bodied categories. As with his tennis career, Lucas has already won a number of medals – securing a medal in each of the five tournaments he has played so far, with three golds, a silver and a bronze. Lucas competed in his first tournament back in August- the English Open and largest UK Pickleball tournament – with his partner (pictured below), where the duo secured a gold medal.
Lucas, who trains at the John Charles Centre for Sport in Leeds, has played in a range of tournaments across the region, including the regional stages of the national league in Halifax. As a collective, the team from John Charles has recently been promoted to Division One, and Lucas hopes that he will soon be competing internationally, with a potential team event in the USA on the horizon. He comments “I am delighted to have started my first year playing Pickleball on such a high. It’s a brilliant sport, and although fairly new to the UK, has a lot of potential – if you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it! I am excited to take my next steps in the sport and I am aiming to play in the USA. My hope for the sport is that it is selected as an official Paralympic sport so that I can compete for Team GB”
We can’t wait to hear more from Lucas as he progresses through his Pickleball career.