"After twelve intense days full of sport, culture and international encounters, the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games came to an end on July 27, 2025. The games on the Rhine, Ruhr and in Berlin were a complete success for sport, for the region, for Germany and for the people. Team Studi, the German national student team, made history at the Games: The German team finished sixth in the medal rankings with eleven titles and a total of 40 medals. It was more successful than ever before." (adh)

Four students from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) were among the 297 top student athletes who competed in all 18 sports on offer.

Helena Brenke: Chemical engineering, rowing fours mixed (Mix4x) - 2nd place

Vincent Hennen: Sports science, 3x3 basketball - 4th place

Bastian Korreck: mechanical engineering, men's volleyball - 7th place

Jessica Wolf: Business Informatics, Taekwondo (up to 57 kg) Kyorugi - 9th place

The four students from Karlsruhe were able to compete on an international stage with athletes from all over the world and tell us about their experiences at the FISU World University Games 2025:

Helena: "As part of the rowing delegation, Helena competed in the mixed quadruple sculls, just like at the 2023 FISU Games in Chengdu (China).

A short training camp right before the Games showed that the team was in good shape and the anticipation grew. The rowing competitions finally started on the last weekend of the Games. In a field of 14 boats, Helena and her team were able to secure victory in the heats right from the start and thus qualify directly for the final. A strong time confirmed the feeling from the competition preparation, but it was clear which main opponents to expect. On the final day, a strong headwind picked up, which particularly benefited the physically stronger teams and meant that tactics and the course of the race had to be adjusted again. In the final, the Italian team, who were known to be strong at the start, were able to get a good length ahead of the German team. Despite the rough, windy conditions, the German team set a fast pace over the course and confidently pulled away from the third-placed boat from Lithuania, even though the Italian team was able to defend its narrow lead over numerous sprints. The final sprint was about one last attack on the leading boat. The German team led by Helena with boat colleagues from Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences, the University of Hanover and the University of Hamburg were able to make up a few meters, but ultimately crossed the finish line in second place, securing one of three silver medals for the adh rowing delegation.

But not only the competition itself was a unique experience. The special thing about the FISU Games is that a joint German team is sent across all 18 sports of the second largest multi-sport event in the world. This means that you are not only in contact with the familiar faces of your own sport, but also support the other German athletes alongside your own competition venue. It is also a unique opportunity to experience other sports, from gymnastics to beach volleyball and water polo ... in front of a home crowd! The enthusiasm was evident right up to the last day of the competition: sold-out stands in a marginal sport like rowing are not the norm. Numerous video broadcasts and press interviews after the races also proved the significance of this event for (university) sport in Germany. An experience in which team spirit, fun in sport and intercultural exchange have the chance to go hand in hand with sporting performance.

A big thank you to everyone involved, from the adh delegation leaders and coaches to all the supporting hands at the home universities, who made this trip a unique one for all the athletes."

Vincent: "In July, I had the great honor of representing Germany in 3x3 basketball at the FISU World University Games 2025 in the Rhine-Ruhr region. It was the first time I was allowed to play for the national team - an experience I will never forget. The tournament was an absolute highlight of my basketball career so far, both in terms of the sport and the atmosphere. Especially the extraordinary atmosphere of such an important international event in my own country made my participation a unique experience.

The nomination came as a complete surprise to me. I was on vacation in Indonesia with my girlfriend at the time and was already thinking about the summer break. Then I received a request from the coach of the 3x3 national team: due to a last-minute absence, I was given the chance to step in. I had come to their attention because we had won the title for the KIT at the German University Championships in 3x3 a few weeks earlier. I didn't have to think about it for long - I agreed straight away on the phone.

Our preliminary round group seemed doable at first - India and Mongolia were two teams that looked beatable on paper. We got off to a good start: we celebrated a commanding opening win against India, which gave us confidence. However, the second game was immediately followed by a setback: we were beaten by Mongolia and finished the group in second place. This meant we had to go through to the quarter-finals via the play-in round, where we faced Chile. In this game, we finally found each other - we clicked on the pitch and you could feel that we were now a well-coordinated team.

One of the tournament's top favorites, France, awaited us in the quarter-finals. In a dramatic match, we won the game with the last throw - for me personally the absolute highlight of the entire tournament. In the semi-final, we had no chance against the strong Lithuanians. They had a well-coordinated team that had already gained experience at the U23 World Championships and other top international tournaments. We faced the Czech Republic in the match for third place and were unfortunately beaten again. The disappointment of missing out on a medal was great at first. However, with a little distance, pride prevailed: in view of our spontaneous composition - we had only got to know each other as a team the day before the tournament began and had only trained together once - reaching the semi-finals was a strong achievement.

The atmosphere at the World University Games was unique. There was a palpable team spirit everywhere - not only in your own team, but also among the athletes from different nations. I particularly remember the opening ceremony in Duisburg: walking into the stadium together with hundreds of athletes in front of a sold-out stadium, to the applause of 23,000 spectators and accompanied by an impressive show - that was a goosebump moment that I will never forget. There was also a special atmosphere during the matches. We played in the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum, a venue with a character all of its own. The home crowd really supported us and created a great atmosphere.

Even if it wasn't quite enough for a medal in the end, the positives clearly outweigh the negatives for me. The spontaneous nomination, the close team spirit and the intensive tournament days at an international level made this participation something very special for me. It was a great honor to be able to represent Germany and the KIT at one of the biggest student sporting events in the world. I take the many impressions, experiences and encounters with me with great gratitude - and will certainly remember them for a long time to come."

Jessica: "From July 14 to 24, I was able to be part of the FISU World University Games in Essen. I spent ten days with the German taekwondo team - staying in a hotel, going to the Essen exhibition center in the morning where the fights took place, eating in the canteen at lunchtime and only returning to the hotel in the evening.

I competed in the weight class up to 57 kg in the Olympic duel. I won my first fight against the athlete from Egypt - she was third in the 2023 World Championships, which made this victory special for me. In my second fight, I lost to the eventual bronze medal winner from Poland. That ended my competition day in 9th place.

What I'll remember most is the atmosphere in the hall. The fact that the games took place in Germany meant that not only my teammates were cheering loudly, but also my family and friends. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was there for me that day.

The ten days were not just about competing, but also about socializing. I made new friends - with other German athletes from sports you don't normally come into contact with and with athletes from countries you rarely meet at European tournaments. The moment at the opening ceremony, when we stood in the hall together with all the nations, was something very special. And of course the traditional pin exchange: I now have pins from China, Japan, the USA, Taipei ... Spontaneous moments, such as a table football game with athletes from Ecuador in the gaming area, will definitely be remembered.

A big thank you also goes to the university for making competitive sport possible for me in the first place, especially to our professor Swantje Scharenberg, who gave me a lot of support during the FISU World University Games."

Further information on the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games, which took place from July 16 to 27, 2025 in the cities of Bochum, Duisburg, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Hagen and Berlin, can be found in the attached links.