RSU students win 17 medals at International SELL Student Games
Photo: Courtesy of the Latvia Higher School Sports Union
From 22 to 24 May, Latvia hosted the XLI International SELL Student Games, where the Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) students achieved outstanding results, winning a total of 17 medals in various sports disciplines.
RSU was the most widely represented university at the competition, with 120 student athletes participating in all 14 sports disciplines, demonstrating both their excellent athletic performance and the university’s strong student athlete system.
17 SELL Games medals
In total, RSU students won the following medals at the SELL Games:
- 3 gold medals;
- 8 silver medals;
- 6 bronze medals.
Outstanding performance in volleyball
The highlight of the SELL Games was the triumph of the RSU men’s volleyball team, which claimed the championship title for the first time in the history of the SELL Games. In the dramatic final match, the RSU team defeated Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH) with scores of 28:26 and 25:23.
Meanwhile, the RSU women’s volleyball team won bronze medals, convincingly defeating VILNIUS TECH in the third-place match with scores of 25:8 and 25:13.
Medals in basketball and beach volleyball
RSU students also performed successfully in 3x3 basketball. In the women’s competition, the RSU lead team won silver medals, while the RSU-2 team secured bronze. Paula Cirša from RSU became one of the tournament’s top scorers, contributing 30 points for her team.
An outstanding achievement was made in beach volleyball. In the men’s competition, Atvars Ozoliņš and Markuss Maculēvičs won gold medals for the first time in the SELL Games history, in the final defeating the long-time tournament favourites from the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences in Vilnius - Matas Navickas and Artūr Vincelovič.
Additional medals in athletics
RSU students won several medals in athletics. Dagmāra Midzene claimed bronze in the high jump, Raivo Bunde secured third place in the long jump, Elze Lešinska won silver in the 200-meter sprint, Indra Mackeviča took second place in the 800 meters, and Paula Monta Popova earned silver in the 1500-meter race.
Successes in individual sports disciplines
Medals were also won in individual sports such as powerlifting, judo, orienteering, and swimming.
In powerlifting, Ilona Buliņa secured a silver medal in the women’s under-69 kg category, while Daniels Leitāns won bronze in the men’s under-83 kg category. In judo, Maksims Bulajevs earned a silver medal in the under-73 kg weight category.
In orienteering, RSU student Anete Strauta won a silver medal in the women’s competition, completing the 4.9-km course with 21 checkpoints in 41 minutes and 3 seconds.
Strong performances in swimming
RSU athletes also demonstrated strong performance in swimming. Linnea Gipperth won a silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke and a bronze medal in the 200-meter medley. Meanwhile, Arina Širjajeva triumphed in the 200-meter medley, winning the gold medal.
The SELL Student Games traditionally bring together the top student athletes from the Baltics and other countries, demonstrating the high level of the university sports and the importance of international sports cooperation.
XLI SELL Student Games, with support from the Ministry of Education and Science, are organised by the Latvian University Sports Federation in cooperation with Latvian universities, sports federations, and local municipalities.
The RSU Sports Club coordinated the participation of RSU teams.
