Some 145 students benefited from the awards made by the Hawks’ Club Charitable Trust which provided awards ranging from £100 to £1000 to male and female students at 31 different Colleges in 40 different sports.

These annual awards make a huge difference to sportsmen and women at the University, and previous winners have gone on to compete in summer and winter Olympics, World and European Championships and the Commonwealth Games.

Student Salman Khan, was one of those recognised, being awarded the Sir Arthur Marshall Award. He is a fifth-year medical student at Downing College, said: “It’s a real honour to receive this award.”

He took up powerlifting at Cambridge and has gone on to become the holder of the British U23 deadlift record in the 83kg class.

The Hawks’ Club Charitable Trust was established in 1996 and is by far the single largest charity dedicated to supporting sport at Cambridge University. The Trustees intend to attract far more capital so they deliver even more impact through the Trust, by providing larger awards and supporting clubs and teams on a regular basis.

The President of the Hawks’ Club, Sebastian Tullie, said: “These Awards are hugely important to the sportsmen and women who are fortunate enough to receive them. The amounts received allow athletes to continue to train, travel and compete at the pinnacle of Cambridge University sport. I know I speak for all the recipients in saying how grateful they are for the support and recognition that the Fund provides.”

The President of the Ospreys’ Club, Lizzie Withers, said: “These Awards are a great testament to the hard work and effort which is put in by some of Cambridge University’s best sportsmen and women and no one takes them for granted. They’re hugely valued by everyone lucky enough to receive one.”

Imogen Grant, a fourth-year medical student at Trinity College, rowed for the lightweights women’s crew this year which saw Cambridge beat Oxford in a clean sweep at the Boat Race.  She said: “This reward is really nice to have in this year particularly. I’ve been very lucky to be here at such a time and that is down to a lot of hard work by the people who came before me.”

Rebecca Lees, of Newnham College is a PhD classics scholar in her fourth year. She was awarded a grant for her participation in Dancesport: “I am really delighted with the award. I love Dancesport. We have great coaching staff. A lot of our team’s success is down to recruiting and retaining beginners who go on to become extremely accomplished dancers.”

The Chairman of the Trust, Matthew Bullock said: “The Trustees are delighted to have made almost £30,000 of Awards this year and, as ever, the decision-making process was difficult because of the high calibre of so many applications. The Trust is determined to raise even more money in the future so we can extend and expand the good work the Hawks’ Club Charitable Trust does even further.”