Man wins double pickleball gold in just 18 months

A man who started playing pickleball only a year and a half ago has been crowned a double national champion.

James Ling, 29, from Ipswich discovered the sport while coaching tennis in the United States and noticed how it was "booming".

At the start of November he took part in the English National Pickleball Championships in Bolton where he won gold in the men's doubles and the mixed doubles.

He said of his wins: "If you would have told me before I would have almost laughed at you, but coming away with that [made me feel] on top of the world."

Ling decided to take up the sport when he moved back to the UK 18 months ago.

He said: "I think when you first start playing, there's quite a quick gratification in it.

"You get playing and you're straight away playing matches with friends and then you start to master the skills, and that's that kind of addicting part of it."

The sport was invented in the US in the 1960s and has grown in popularity in the UK since 2019.

According to Pickleball England, there are an estimated 65,000 people playing the sport in England.

Ling recently moved to London to work at a pickleball club, but said he had noticed lots of clubs "popping up" across Suffolk.

He said: "It is so good to see because when I first started there wasn't really too much around.

"But you fast forward a year and a half and there's clubs in every sports hall, in every village hall.

"Tennis clubs are getting involved and it's just fantastic to see. Onwards and upwards with it."

Ling took the men's doubles gold at the national event with his partner James Chaudry, and the mixed doubles gold with Ellie Tomkinson.

He also recently signed with the PPA Tour Europe - the pro tour of pickleball in Europe - and said he wanted to work to become "the best in the world".

"I want to try and get to the top, and keep getting better and better and see where it takes me," he added.

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