Paderborn University athletes successful at the German University Championships

With an outstanding performance, Matthias Gravendyk, a student at Paderborn University, won the title at the German University Championships (DHM) in triathlon on Sunday, 18 May. In the race over the sprint distance (500 m swimming, 19.5 km cycling, 5 km running), he came out on top in a strong field of participants and thus provided a sporting exclamation mark from Paderborn's point of view. A total of 44 men and 30 women competed in Griesheim in southern Hesse in perfect conditions.

Gravendyk, who competes in the 2nd Bundesliga for TriStar Oelde, showed his class on the running course in particular. The university's mixed team also impressed: In the mixed team relay, in which two men and one woman each had to complete a super sprint distance (225 m swim, 5 km bike, 1.5 km run), the Paderborn trio, which consisted of Jens Balzer and Iris Güldenpenning alongside Gravendyk, achieved a strong third place on the podium. Güldenpenning, who competes for TSVE Bielefeld, also took a solid seventh place in the women's individual race. Balzer rounded off the Paderborn starters' good performance with a midfield placing.

"It was great to see both absolute top performances and first triathlon experiences coming together. It is precisely this sporting interaction at different levels that makes the DHM so special," summarised Nils Arnecke, Head of Discipline of the German University Sports Association (adh).

Ulrich Kussin, Head of University Sports at Paderborn University, is delighted: "We are delighted with our successful team and congratulate them warmly. Matthias Gravendyk's title win was the icing on the cake of a successful day of competition from Paderborn's perspective." Dennis Kehne from University Sports also emphasises: "The recent successes show once again that we at Paderborn University are not only broadly positioned, but also have a presence at the top level of performance."

This text was translated automatically.