Molly O’Donoghue came away from the Skechers English Nationals with the women’s doubles title (with Sara Tsukamoto) and a silver medal in the mixed doubles (with Tom Turney). Less than a week later, she was named in the England team for the inaugural European Pickleball Championships.
It’s not bad at all for someone who’s been playing the sport for less than a year.
“Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better Nationals debut,” she told Pickleball 52. “Sara and I are both in a little bit of disbelief that we managed to win such a tough competition. Getting mixed silver was just a phenomenal achievement for me and Tom.
“Sara and I really enjoy playing together and we’ve trained a lot. Our games complement each other, but I don’t think we had any expectation – every pairing was very strong. We were so happy to win it.”
The 22-year-old student loved the experience of her first-ever Nationals (“my parents came to watch and couldn’t get over how many people were there!”). She began playing in March 2024 when she was visiting Australia on her study abroad year, having played tennis when she was younger.
“I missed competing, and I saw an Instagram ad for a pickleball club out there. I went and gave it a try and got addicted from there!”
And now she is finishing her first year in the sport as part of the England team for the European Championship in Southampton at the end of the month.
“I felt really honoured [to get the call-up]: super excited to represent England and play as a team!” she said.
After that, all eyes will be on what looks set to be a thrilling new year for O’Donoghue.
“I missed a lot of tournaments in the first half of this year because I wasn’t playing! I want to play as much as I can and keep improving – that’s the plan for 2025.”
