Fabian Hambüchen winning silver at the Kazan SU in 2013 (Photo by Alexander Vogel)
GERMANY – The German University Sports Federation (adh) has announced its contingent for the 2015 Summer Universiade in Gwangju, Korea. Roughly 120 German athletes from 13 different sports will participate in the competitions from 3 to 14 July.
For the adh the first period of athlete nominations has ended. After meeting with the respective professional associations and event directors of each sport at the end of May, director of sports Thorsten Hütsch now named about 120 athletes who will be traveling to Gwangju in early July. Out of 21 sports the German participants will compete in 13, namely Archery, Artistic Gymnastics, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Diving, Fencing, Judo, Rowing, Shooting, Swimming, Taekwondo, and Table Tennis. Altogether the German crew – including the head of delegation, coaches, staff, medical attendance, and office team – will consist of approximately 180 people.
“Many countries will send out their top athletes to Gwangju. Especially the leading sporting nations from Asia and Eastern Europe line up their top level squads. Traditionally the German Universiade team consists mostly of hopeful junior athletes. They shall gain experience and draw motivation for future competitions like world championships and the Olympic Games”, says Hütsch. But this does not mean that German athletes won’t compete for precious metal. Medal chances do exist for example in Judo, Shooting, Rowing, Taekwondo, and Artistic Gymnastics.
The latter will provide spectators with probably the most familiar face of the German team – Fabian Hambüchen – who won a silver medal in the horizontal bar competition at the 2012 Olympics in London and a bronze medal on the same apparatus four years earlier in Bejing. The student from the German Sport University Cologne is ready to participate in his second Universiade and will try to add another title after winning two silver medals in Kazan in 2013.
Another aspirant for a medal is Anna-Lena Frömming who competes in Taekwondo (-57kg), the Korean national sport. The student from the FernUniversität in Hagen finished in fifth place at the World Taekwondo Championships in Russia this year. In front of 800 spectators at Chosun University Gymnasium she will be reaching for a medal.
Click link for a full list of the German team.
The basketball and athletics participants will be determined at a later date.
Max Länge (GER), FISU Young Reporter