Fun atmosphere drives UniRoos performances in Lake Placid

The 31st FISU World University Games Winter took place in Lake Placid, New York earlier this month and a solid Australian contingent enjoyed a combination of camaraderie and performance throughout the 11-day event.

National Alpine Ski Team member Madi Hoffman recorded the best results of the Aussie team with a pair of sixth place finishes in slalom and giant slalom. The giant slalom also saw two Aussies in the top 10 thanks to a strong performance by KT Parker.

Hugh McAdam recorded the fastest second run of the men’s slalom to jump into 14th place, while Sophie Mahon’s best result came in the alpine combined where she finished 22nd.

The cross country team was the largest Australian contingent in Lake Placid, making up more than a third of the entire team.

The men’s 4x7.5km relay team of Seve de Campo, Bentley Walker-Broose, Fedele de Campo and Adam Barnett recorded the squad’s best result, finishing in 12th.

Seve de Campo claimed four individual top 20 performances, 14th in the 10km classic being his best result, with the Beijing 2022 representative enjoying the atmosphere at the multi-sport event.

“Especially after the first races there was a real buzz around the place as everyone started to get to know each other and relax and enjoy the great setup over at our accommodation,” he said. “Competing was also super fun with lots of supporters out cheering on the tracks each day.

“Compared to other events I think the big accommodation setup and dining hall was super welcoming and like it is at the Olympics, it was exciting being at a big multi-sport event and getting to see the routines and efforts of various other winter sports.”

De Campo was particularly impressed with the performances of Rosie Fordham who he competed alongside in the mixed relay. US-based Fordham was the best-performing member of the women’s cross country squad, finishing her campaign with 13th in the 15km mass start free, just 6s from the top 10.

Like de Campo, Fordham likened the Uni Games experience to other major events comprising other snow and ice sports.

“I think it compares with the experience I had at Youth Olympics in 2020,” said Fordham. “We very rarely have events that bring many winter sports together. It was really awesome to be able to interact with other Aussies who I hadn’t met before, like the curling team, on a daily basis in the village.

“I learnt a lot about how other sports work as well as getting to know cross country skiers from other countries to a greater extent than I normally would.

“By the end of the championships it was so nice to have people from all over the world cheering out on course.”

Alfred Wenk was the UniRoos sole competitor in ski cross, qualifying for the head-to-head in 10th place before ultimately finishing third in the small final for seventh overall.

In alpine snowboard, Georgia Brose collected 22nd and 23rd place finishes in the parallel slalom and parallel giant slalom, while teammate Mia Chawner was 23rd and 21st in the corresponding races.

For most of the athletes who competed in Lake Placid, their northern winter is not over with plenty more competition still to take place in the US, Canada and Europe.

The 32nd FISU World University Games Winter will take place in Turin, Italy in January 2025.