Adelaide wins Uni Games honour

Sport

The University of Adelaide has had its best result at the Australian University Games, winning eight gold medals and capturing one of the Games' highest honours, the Doug Ellis Trophy.

Awarded to the university that scores the most points per capita, the Doug Ellis Trophy was presented to the University of Adelaide at the end of the national five-day sports event.

Adelaide won gold in men's football, women's basketball, mixed beach volleyball, swimming (200-metre individual medley), the lightweight four (coxless) rowing, and three rockclimbing events (advance climbing, advance bouldering, and intermediate bouldering).

University of Adelaide competitors also won eight silver medals and five bronze medals.

A number of high placings in fourth and fifth helped to push the University of Adelaide up in the points tally, securing the Doug Ellis Trophy on a per capita basis (ie, number of students).

"This has been the most outstanding result for the University of Adelaide since the Australian University Games began in 1993," said the Executive Officer of the University of Adelaide Sports Association, Gloria Chester.

"Adelaide has never won the Doug Ellis Trophy before, and this was a real treat at the end of a very satisfying week of competition," she said.

The President of the Sports Association, and coach of the University's Men's Soccer Team, Andres Munoz-Lamilla, said Adelaide's excellent results all came down to one thing: hard work.

"The students' spirits were high going into these Games - they had a very good preparation, and that helped them to stay among the top of the field in many sports," he said.

The 2006 Australian University Games, held in Adelaide in September, involved 41 universities and 5000 competitors. More than 300 students from the University of Adelaide took part in the games, with many more involved as volunteers to help with the running of the event.

Story by David Ellis