Cambridge’s Oscar Despard Leads Christ’s College to University Challenge Victory
– In a thrilling comeback, a team from Christ’s College, Cambridge, captained by Dubliner Oscar Despard, won the final of the long-running BBC student quiz show University Challenge on Monday night. The team trailed University of Warwick for most of the final but moved into the lead in the final minutes, winning by a narrow margin of five points.
Despard’s Team Secures Victory with Stellar Performance
The final score was 175 to Christ’s Cambridge and 170 to Warwick. The winning trophy was presented to Despard and his teammates – Linus Luu (maths), Brendan Bethlehem (linguistics), and Anniko Firman (classics) – by actor Sir Ian McKellen.
From Dublin to Cambridge: Despard’s Academic Journey
Despard, a 22-year-old molecular biology PhD student, has always had a love for quizzes. Growing up, he watched The Chase with his grandmother and University Challenge with his mother, Prof Niamh Moran of the Royal College of Surgeons. A stellar Leaving Certificate performance helped bring Despard to Cambridge, where he was one of just two students to achieve nine H1 grades in 2021. In 2020, he won the Individual Award at the BT Young Scientist competition.
Ireland Well-Represented in University Challenge
While University Challenge is open to UK university teams, Ireland was well-represented this year. Another Dubliner, Kevin Flanagan from Dundrum, captained the team from the University of Bristol. The pair faced off in the semi-final but remain firm friends. Queen’s University Belfast also performed strongly, reaching the quarter-finals.
“There’s Always a Shakespeare Question, So I Read His Complete Works”
“There’s always a Shakespeare question, so I read his complete works.”
Despard expressed surprise and delight at the number of people following his team’s progress. “Lots of people who I didn’t think would be interested have been very enthusiastic and have been wishing us well, which has been very nice to see and to have,” he said.
Despard’s Future Plans
After completing his PhD, Despard hopes to continue in some form of academic research.
Did you know?
University Challenge has been running since 1963, making it one of the longest-running quiz shows on British television.
Pro tip:
To improve your chances of winning a quiz show, diversify your knowledge base and practice regularly.
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