Former ADAPT AILO (All-Ireland Linguistics Olympiad) champion Oscar Despard has led Christ’s College, Cambridge to a narrow and thrilling win on the BBC’s University Challenge.
Despard (22), a Dubliner and PhD student in molecular biology, captained the team to a 175–170 victory over Warwick University in Monday night’s final of the prestigious student quiz show. The team’s win marks another milestone in Despard’s already impressive academic trajectory, having previously earned recognition in Ireland’s premier problem-solving competition for secondary school students in 2021.
Despard was joined by Linus Luu (mathematics), Brendan Bethlehem (linguistics), and Anniko Firman (classics). The team received the iconic trophy from actor Sir Ian McKellen in a ceremony following the broadcast.
Read more about this impressive victory here.
Photo: Oscar Despard in 2020 when he won the Individual Award at the BT Young Scientist competition. Photograph: Crispin Rodwell/The Irish Times
