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The University of West Bohemia in Pilsen achieved further significant athletic successes over the summer. Students Veronika Vávrová, Adam Beneš, and Karolína Voříšková represented not only the university but also the entire Czech Republic at the world championships in handball and sprint canoeing. In addition, both female students brought home two medals to Pilsen.

Handball player Veronika Vávrová from the University’s Faculty of Applied Sciences won her first medal as part of the Czech national team. The Czech women’s team finished third at the World University Championships in Pessac, France. “We’re happy with the bronze medal, though we were a little disappointed by the semifinal match against France, which we lost by a narrow margin. The tournament was very physically demanding. We played six matches in seven days, which is another reason why we appreciate these bronze medals,” Vávrová said.

In the group stage of the academic championship, the Czech handball players defeated Brazil (31–22) and Germany (36–20), and lost to Spain by just one point (25–26). In the quarterfinals, they then defeated China (35–30). The women’s team didn’t face a setback until the semifinals, where they lost by two points to France (29–31), which ultimately won the entire championship. The Czech women then redeemed themselves in the third-place match by defeating Poland (26–22).

Czech handball players also competed in France. The men’s team had mixed results throughout the tournament and ultimately finished in sixth place. “It was another great experience. We definitely wanted to go as far as possible, but in the end, we finished sixth. We played a lot of high-quality, closely contested matches. Despite some rough patches, we played the tournament with honor,” said Adam Beneš, a player for Talent Plzeň and a student at the Faculty of Economics. In the men’s group as well, the home team ultimately claimed victory.

The August Academic World Championships in canoeing in Szeged, Hungary, also brought another bronze medal to the Czech Republic and UWB. Karolína Voříšková, a student at the Faculty of Economics, won the medal there with her teammates in the K4 team event, the 500-meter quadruple kayak race. “The conditions for the race were tough because there was a strong crosswind, which is never pleasant. The girls and I worked well together, and we decided we’d go all out from start to finish. And it resulted in a medal that we really appreciate,” said Voříšková. She also competed in the individual 1,000-meter kayak event at the championships but finished 4th.