So far Anna Hursey’s summer has been much like that of other girls her age – finishing GCSEs, listening to her idol Ariana Grande and watching favourite TV show The Vampire Diaries while planning a 16th birthday dinner with friends. But the similarities end right there.
For last month, Anna turned 16 in Slovenia, where she was representing Team Wales at a table tennis tournament. And with exam season out of the way, she’s focusing on her preparations for this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Oh, and thanks to her status as a UN climate champion, President Biden has asked for her help in his mission to protect the planet.
In spite of her age, Anna has already put in years of hard graft to get where she is today. The superstar in the making began playing table tennis with her father in the garage at their home in Swansea when she was just four years old.
“I was beating him by the time I was seven,” laughs Anna, who joined Team Wales at the same age. “I was only 10 years old when I played my first senior international match.”
With her parents back at the family home in Wales, Anna has spent the past few months training in Portugal with the national team. “I love playing table tennis, but it’s awesome that because of the sport I also get to travel to amazing places with my friends and teammates,” she says.
At the games in Birmingham, Anna will be the youngest member of a four-woman squad, alongside Chloe Thomas Wu Zhang and Charlotte Carey, who competed with her in the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast, plus debutant Lara Whitton.
Anna is well used to being the youngest person at the table. Playing in Australia at just 11, she made history as the youngest athlete to represent Wales at senior level in any sport.
Anna is one of many athletes in this year’s home nation teams who benefited from National Lottery funding. Thanks to National Lottery players, over £40million is going to support the 2022 Commonwealth Games. “They have given me funding via Team Wales, which has helped me to go Portugal, take part in competitions and go through training, so I’m very grateful for that,” Anna explains.
“When I was younger, my parents would have to try and fund quite a few things and help me, so it’s brilliant we don’t have to think about that anymore.”
Away from the sport, there are other incredible things in the pipeline for Anna. As well as starting her A-levels, she has become a Young Champion of the UN’s Sports for Climate Action Framework.
As a result of this, and her profile, the White House has asked her to contribute to the Biden administration’s drive to tackle climate change.
“I was so surprised and happy that they asked me to help. It’s a way for me to offer a younger person’s perspective on climate change, especially as we’ll be the generation that’s going to be living through it.”
For now, though, Anna has her eyes on the podium in Birmingham. She has high hopes of success for this year’s competition and is looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd, despite the fact that her squad will be playing against some of the strongest players in the world. “It feels like the team is a lot stronger this time round,” she says. “Obviously I’d be so happy to win a medal in Birmingham. That’s what we’re all aiming for, after all.”
