CHENGDU, China – After a delay of two years, the Chengdu World University Games begin this week, and eight archers representing the United States will be among more than 10,000 student athletes competing.
Kris Strebeck is head coach at the University of the Cumberlands, and will lead the team in Chengdu. He said, “I’m really looking forward to these Games since they have been postponed the last few years.”
The Games were originally scheduled for the summer of 2021 but ultimately pushed back until 2023 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The eight archers representing the United States are: Natalie Howell, Katherine Wu, Judith Gottlieb (recurve women); Chris Austin (recurve men); Sachiko Keane, Alyssa Tenney, Alyssa Sturgill (compound women); Ellisei Miller (compound men).
“This is a great opportunity for these college athletes to experience a top-level international event that they will remember for a lifetime,” continued Strebeck. “I can still remember the event from 2015 in Korea like it was yesterday.”
Thanks to the generosity of the Lancaster Archery Foundation, the eight-strong USA team in Chengdu each received a $1,000 grant.
“College archery has continued to grow every year and the athletes continue to improve year in and year out,” Strebeck added. “It will be a great test to see how far we have come over the years."
The archery events of the Chengdu 2021 FISU Games will be held at the Modern Pentathlon Centre Equestrian Arena in Chengdu from Thursday until Monday, with a total of 10 gold medals up for grabs. Archery and water polo are the only two sports starting a day before the opening ceremony.
Strebeck knows that he has a strong team in China, but the Games will not be without their challenges.
“The major challenge will be becoming adjusted to our environment. By the time that everyone arrives we will have our opening ceremonies and that is a major event that is like no other, and then we are some of the first events to begin competition.”
Archery is one of the 15 compulsory sports represented at the World University Games, along with three optional sports of rowing, shooting sport and wushu (or Kung fu). The event will be broadcast to a global audience of over 300 million viewers.
The largest global multi-sports event for student-athletes, the World University Games will be staged over 13 days, from July 27-August 8, involving more than 10,000 student-athletes and officials from over 150 countries and regions.
The United States will host the 2029 version, in North Carolina. Before that, the event will stop off in Germany (2025) and Korea (2027). The USA has only once previously hosted the Games, when held in Buffalo, NY in 1993.
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