Andrea Cosi wins the 20km race walk in Bochum (© Kevin Voigt / Rhine-Ruhr 2025)
Italy’s Andrea Cosi and Australia’s Elizabeth McMillen kicked off the final day of the World University Games (21-27) in Bochum, Germany, with Games record victories in the 20km race walk on Sunday.
Cosi broke a 12-year-old Games record by winning the men’s race in 1:19:48, taking 59 seconds off the previous mark. Japan’s Atsuki Tsuchiya (1:20:08) edged Ukraine’s Mykola Rushchak (1:20:10) for silver.
McMillen claimed the women’s title in 1:28:18 – a personal best that equalled the 10-year-old Games record – and led Australia to silver in the team standings. Ning Jinlin (1:28:32) and Ji Haiying (1:29:14) completed the individual podium, securing team gold for China.
The seven days of athletics competition in Bochum featured 51 medal events, with seven Games records set or equalled.
South Africa’s Bayanda Walaza was one of the standout performers. The 19-year-old completed a golden double in the 100m (10.16) and 200m (20.63), before anchoring South Africa to silver in the 4x100m (38.80). His performances followed Olympic silver last year in Paris, where South Africa set an African record of 37.57.
Republic of Korea’s Lee Jaeseong, the 200m bronze medallist, helped his squad to relay gold in 38.50, with India close behind in 38.89.
Lythe Pillay added to South Africa’s success in the sprints, winning the 400m in 44.84.
Japan, preparing to host the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 in September, topped both the athletics medal table (five gold, three silver, three bronze) and the overall Games standings with a total of 79 medals (34 gold).
Shinsaku Kudo’s 1:02:29 in the men’s half marathon added to that total and broke the Games record by more than a minute. Türkiye’s Ramazan Bastug followed with a PB of 1:02:35 to claim silver ahead of Kudo’s teammate Ryuto Uehara who ran 1:02:39 to place third and help secure team gold for Japan.
In the women’s race, China’s Ma Xiuzhen claimed victory with a PB of 1:12:48 ahead of Japan’s Makoto Tsuchiya (1:12:58) and Mariya Noda (1:13:16).
Other Games records were set by Luxembourg’s Ruben Querinjean in the 3000m steeplechase (8:18.46), Slovenia’s Klara Lukan in the 10,000m (31:25.84) and Poland’s mixed 4x400m team who ran 3:19.10 in the heats as the event made its World University Games debut and then improved to 3:15.58 to win the final.
The host nation won nine athletics medals, including three in the discus. Mika Sosna took the men’s title with a throw of 64.26m, Steven Richter added silver with 61.77m and Antonia Kinzel claimed bronze with 58.43m in a women’s competition won by Türkiye’s Ozlem Becerek (61.15m).
World indoor pentathlon silver medallist Kate O’Connor won the heptathlon with an Irish record of 6487 points, placing her fourth on this season’s world top list, while Uzbekistan’s two-time world U20 champion Sharifa Davronova won the triple jump with a PB of 14.33m.
In the men’s pole vault, Norway’s Simen Guttormsen cleared a lifetime best of 5.75m to secure gold – just five centimetres short of the Games record that has stood since 1991 and was matched in 2001 and 2005. His compatriot Kitty Friele Faye added silver in the women’s event with 4.50m, behind Belgium’s Elien Vekemans (4.60m).
Finland claimed two golds through Ilona Mononen and Saara Keskitalo who won close finals in the 3000m steeplechase (9:31.86) and 100m hurdles (12.88), respectively.
Andjela Cegar for World Athletics
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