UniRoos Heading Home from FISU Summer World University Games with 12 Medals

After nearly two weeks of intense competition, the UniRoos rounded out a remarkable campaign at the FISU Summer World University Games in Germany, finishing 11th overall on the gold medal tally with 12 medals (5 gold, 3 silver, and 4 bronze). Competing in 15 sports in five German cities, the entire UniRoos team inspired pride in the nation’s university sporting community.

From record-equalling feats on the track to history-making sprints and personal bests across multiple disciplines, the team of 239 UniRoos delivered brilliant performances that underscored the strength of Australia’s student-athletes on the global stage.

Our Medal Moments

Elizabeth McMillen (Griffith University, Bachelor of Sport Development), put in a stunning performance in the Women’s 20km Race Walk securing gold and etching her name into the record books by equalling the FISU Games record of 1:28.18, originally set in 2015.

The UniRoos’ dominance in race walking continued with double silver in both the Men’s and Women’s Team Race Walk categories, thanks to six top-10 finishes, showcasing depth and consistency.

In a historic first for Australia, the Women’s 4x100m Relay team (Georgia Harris (Griffith University, Bachelor of Business), Kristie Edwards (Charles Sturt University, Bachelor of Physiotherapy), Olivia Inkster (University of Technology Sydney, Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science) and Jessica Millat (Deakin University, Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science)) stormed to gold in 43.46 seconds, holding off Switzerland by just 0.01 seconds, adding a second gold for Harris, who earlier claimed victory in the Women’s 100m with a time of 11.44 seconds.

In the Men’s Triple Jump, Connor Murphy (The University of Sydney, Bachelor of Engineering Honours – Aeronautical) delivered a season-best leap of 16.77m to claim gold, adding to his growing international résumé.

Completing Australia’s golden haul was a gutsy performance from Benjamin Guse (Southern Cross University, Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science) in the Men’s Decathlon, amassing a personal best of 7918 points, including PBs in nine out of ten events.

In other medal winning performances, Desleigh Owusu (Macquarie University, Bachelor of Business Administration) soared to a personal best of 13.86m in the Women’s Triple Jump to secure bronze. Emelia Surch (Griffith University, Bachelor of Exercise Science) delivered a PB total of 6068 points to take bronze in the Women’s Heptathlon.

Roman Anastasios  The University of Melbourne, Bachelor of Science) cleared 2.20m to equal his season-best and earn bronze in the Men’s High Jump, while in the pool early in the games, Josephine Crimmins (Queensland University of Technology, Bachelor of Property Economics) claimed silver in the Women’s 50m Butterfly (26.27) and bronze in the 100m Butterfly (58.62), cementing her place as one of the meet’s breakout performers.

Finals Achievements

Beyond the medal count, the UniRoos shone with finals appearances and career-best performances across numerous sports.

In Athletics, highlights included, Bronte Oates (University of Technology Sydney, Bachelor of Law/Bachelor of Science) finishing 5th in the Women’s 10,000m with a PB of 32:11.77, Delta Amidzovski (University of Wollongong, Bachelor of Law) and Samantha Dale (Australian College of Physical Education, Associate Degree of Sports Business) placing 4th and 7th respectively in the Women’s Long Jump Final.

Connor Bond (Macquarie University, Bachelor of Cyber Security) finished 7th in the Men’s 100m Final (10.46), while the Men’s 4x100m Relay team that featured Joseph Ayoade (The University of Sydney), Christopher Ius (The University of Sydney), Aidan Murphy (The University of Adelaide) and Connor Bond, narrowly missed out on a  bronze medal, as they were pipped by India by just 0.005 seconds despite matching times of 38.89

In Swimming, alongside Crimmins’ success, Marcus Da Silva (University of Technology Sydney) reached finals in the 100m (6th) and 200m Freestyle (6th), while Gabriel Gorgas (Macquarie University) placed 7th in the 200m Individual Medley. Relay squads delivered consistent results, with top-7 finishes in both the Men’s 4x100m and 4x200m Freestyle relays.

In Diving, Kiarra Milligan (Bachelor of Arts in Psychology) impressed with a 6th-place finish in the Women’s 1m Springboard Final, while Hannah Smith (Australian Catholic University, Bachelor of Exercise & Sports Science) and Sofia Knight (University of North Carolina, Bachelor of History) narrowly missed out on a medal finishing in 4th position in the 10m Platform Synchro Final.

The Women’s Water Polo Team impressed with a memorable 10-9 group-stage win over hosts Germany, reaching the quarterfinals before falling to the USA in a tightly contested match, finishing 6^th overall.

Other UniRoo Top 10s

• Archery: Mixed Recurve Team – Megan Denier (The University of Sydney) and Casey Isles (University of South Australia) 9^th
• Badminton: Men’s Doubles – Jordan Wang (The University of Melbourne) and Otto Zhao (Monash University) 9^th
• Artistic Gymnastics: Men’s Artistic – Team All Around Aiden Frick (The University of Queensland), James Hardy (Queensland University of Technology), Nicholas Howard (Monash University), Jesse Moore (University of Canberra), Heath Thorpe (Queensland University of Technology) 6^th, Men’s Individual All Around Jesse Moore 4^th, Women’s Uneven Bar Kate McDonald (Deakin University) 5^th, Men’s Parallel Bars Jesse Moore 6^th, Men’s Horizontal Bar Heath Thorpe 7^th, Men’s Vault James Hardy 8^th
• Rowing: Women’s Four Ella Ready (The University of Queensland), Nancy Duncan-Banks (The University of Queensland), April Draney (Australian Catholic University), Alice Ready (The University of Queensland) 7^th
• Taekwondo: Poomsae Women’s Team – Claudia Choi (The University of Sydney), Vanessa Lam (UNSW), Emma Nguyen (UNSW) 8th
• Tennis: Mixed Doubles Catherine Aulia (University of Tennessee) and Jeremy Jin (University of Florida) 5^th
• Volleyball: Men’s Overall (9^th)

Notable Performances:

Beach Volleyball Men: Jed Walker (Curtin University) and Oliver Merritt (University of the Sunshine Coast) secured a quarter finals match but in a very close contest were unable to succeed against Italy.

Fencing: Men’s Sabre Team progressed to the round of 16 where they fought Japan losing 38-45 – an outstanding effort to place 13^th overall.

Table Tennis – Men’s doubles Sidney Win Shwe (Curtin University) and Andrew Choi (The University of Sydney) progressed to the round of 32 but were unable to beat the strong German pair finishing in 17^th place.

Rhythmic Gymnastics – in a very competitive field Isabella Wang (University of Technology Sydney) and Tahlya Smith (Queensland University of Technology) achieved scores of 89.9 and 85 respectively.

The success of the UniRoos in Germany was not just the result of athletic brilliance but also of the tireless work behind the scenes. All the coaches, team managers, medical professionals, and UniSport support staff, who worked long hours and gave their time, expertise, and care, made this campaign possible.

Recognition and thanks are also extended to our valued partners, Elastoplast, ZenSim and Dr Woof for supporting the UniRoos journey. From performance products and athlete wellbeing to staying connected while abroad, their contributions made a tangible difference across the games.

To each and every UniRoo who competed in Germany, congratulations. Whether you stood on the podium, posted a personal best, or gave your all in the heat of competition, you represented your university, your sport, and your country with pride and passion.

As we close the curtain on the 2025 FISU Summer World University Games, the legacy of the UniRoos continues to grow, powered by the belief that Australian student-athletes can compete with the world’s best and inspire future generations to do the same as they go on to compete on the biggest stages in sport, or make successes of themselves in the business world.

See you in 2027.

A full list of results from all 15 sports will be published in the coming days.

Follow the UniRoos on social media for more images from the games.