Balancing two careers is not always easy: the competitive athletes at the University of Wuppertal manage training camps, preparatory competitions and championships alongside their studies - and celebrate great success in the process. "They don't always lead this dual career in the public eye, so we are all the more pleased to be able to offer them this special stage today," said Professor Michael Fallgatter, the university's top sports representative, as he opened the ceremony to welcome the honourees on Tuesday afternoon as part of the campus summer party.

"I would like to congratulate the top student athletes at the University of Wuppertal on their successes. Their outstanding achievements are hard-earned and hard-won. The sporting spirit and passion with which they master not only sporting challenges are exemplary and show that it is possible to combine academic goals and top sporting performance," emphasised NRW State Secretary Andrea Milz, who gladly accepted the invitation to the award ceremony to address the athletes personally.

The President of the LSB NRW, Stefan Klett, praised the commitment and appreciation for sport that the University of Wuppertal demonstrates with such a prominently placed honour as part of the summer festival and beyond. "NRW will be a great host for the World University Games in July!"

The following athletes were honoured at the Campus Summer Festival:

• Aaron Börkei and his roller hockey team became German vice-champion and German vice-cup winner.
• As part of the World Skate Games, roller hockey players Annika Zech and Yolanda Kahmann and their team won the Intercontinental Championship (B World Championship) in Novara (Italy).
• Ayna Pollok, Denise Schmitz and Katharina Wagner took part in the German University Fencing Championships and came second in the team competition in Heidelberg.
• Christos Pintsis became German team champion in judo.
• Taekwondoka Dardan Pllana qualified for the European Universities Games in Miskolc, Hungary.
• Swimmer Emre Demirdas collected successes at the German Short Course Championships in Wuppertal: first place in the 4x50 metre freestyle mixed and two third places in the 4x50 metre medley mixed and 4x50 metre medley men.
• Franziska Ritter became German speed climbing champion in Hamburg.
• Jan Sauerbier took part in the Floorball World Championships in Malmö (Sweden).
• Handball player Lena Lindemann came fifth with her team at the U18 World Championships in China.
• Athlete Lennart Roos became the 2024 German university champion in the 400 metre hurdles in Duisburg.
• Linus Bader also secured the title of German speed climbing champion at .
• Maximilian Zöllner can look back on several successes in canoe racing: second place in the eight-man canoe over 200 metres, two third places in the single canoe over 5,000 metres and in the two-man canoe over 1,000 metres at the German Championships in Brandenburg an der Havel; he also travelled to the World University Championships in Montemor-o-Velho (Portugal), where he came third in the single canoe over 5,000 metres.
• Victoria Krause became German champion in the javelin throw, securing the title at the German (winter throwing) championships in Halle (Saale).

Since 2006, the University of Wuppertal has been supporting top student athletes in their dual careers as a "partner university of elite sport". The project was initiated in 1999 with various partners from the German University Sports Association (adh). As part of these cooperation agreements, around 1,200 top student athletes are currently supported at over 110 adh member universities.

Further information on the topic of partner universities of elite sport can be found on the UniSport website.

Further information on the World University Games partner university can be found on the UniSport event website.