By Yoon Sung-won
Rowers from prestigious university teams have heated up competition at the 2015 Gwangju Universiade.
According to the Gwangju Universiade Organizing Committee (GUOC), a total of 353 athletes from 36 countries have participated in rowing at the Chungju International Rowing Center in North Chungcheong Province since Sunday.
Among them are members of prestigious university rowing teams such as Oxford, British Colombia, Waseda, Shanghai Jiao Tong and Harvard vying for 13 golds through July 7.
The rivalry among them is providing even greater entertainment for fans of the sport because these athletes compete not only for their countries but for the glory of their respective teams.
Rowing is considered one of the sports that perfectly represents the spirit of the Universiade, which promotes not only competition among university athletes but friendship and collaboration.
The most popular rivalry in this sport is between the university teams of Oxford and Cambridge, which started in 1829 on the River Thames. The competition, dubbed as “the Boat Race,” has been held every year since 1856. In the United States, Harvard and Yale ignited their rivalry in 1852 and have competed 150 times since.
As a Universiade event, rowing was revived in Kazan, Russia, two years ago, 20 years after last being held at the 1993 Buffalo Universiade. At the Kazan Universiade, Russia, Germany and Lithuania won three golds each.
Thomas Watson, an ophthalmology doctoral student at the University of Oxford, participated in the Universiade as a member of the Canadian team. He has competed in the men’s lightweight coxless event alongside teammates Joshua Jon King, James Potts and Taylor Ashwood.
Juri-Mikk Udam, a mechanical engineering undergraduate at Harvard University, has participated in the men’s double sculls event with teammate Geir Suursild. Udam is scheduled to contest for the gold at the final on July 7.
In the men’s eight, which is considered the highlight event of the sport, the United States has a team mainly consisting of athletes from the University of Michigan and the University of Washington.
Head coach of the U.S. team Charley Sullivan stressed perfect collaboration in the sport.
“In rowing, a single player with excellent individual skill alone cannot make his team win the game,” he said. “Every single athlete needs to work together to become the champion.”
Korea’s Universiade rowing team includes Incheon Asiad gold medalist Kim Ye-ji from Kyungwoon University. Kim has competed in the women’s single sculls event.