More than 450 participants, an engaged audience, artistic performances by students and great fun in beautiful weather - this is how one can describe the Run for the Cup of the JM Rector of the University of Gdańsk, which took place on 21 May on the University of Gdańsk campus in Oliwa. The event, organised by the Centre for Physical Education and Sport of the UG in cooperation with AZS UG and the Centre for Communication and Promotion, attracted exceptional interest this year.
‘This year's run is an absolutely exceptional run,’ said UG Rector prof. dr hab. Piotr Stepnowski at the opening of the event. ‘For the first time in history, we have broken the attendance record several times. We are delighted with how academic sport is developing, how the sporting spirit of our community is growing.’
At the end of his speech, the Rector shared information about the signing of the contract for the construction of the University of Gdańsk's first sports hall, planned for next week, which is to be the most modern facility of its kind in northern Poland.
Andrzej Cieplik from the Centre for Physical Education and Sport at the UG also expressed his delight at the large number of participants in the event: 'We want to encourage our students to be so active. Everyone has a discipline they do best and feel most comfortable in - and they just need to discover it within themselves.’
The run was held in two categories: women's (1.5 km route) and men's (3 km route), on the university campus in Oliwa, near the UG Library building. The organisers provided medals for the first 100 people at the finish line. The women's race was opened by the Rector of UG, and the men's competition by the Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, dr hab. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler, prof. UG. The first place among the women was taken by Rozalia Malina. The winner of the men's race was Mikołaj Prejc.
‘I am glad to have won for the second year in a row. I really like such initiatives. I had a lot of fun,’ said the winner of the women's competition, who has been training in athletics since 2018. Mikołaj Prejc found the running conditions difficult due to the temperature but appreciated the running route itself. He too has years of training behind him. ‘I'm having more fun with the sport now,’ he said in an interview with Karolina Gleinert of Radio MORS. When asked why running is worth it, he replied: ‘First of all for the satisfaction. I feel fulfilment when I do workouts, when I run at competitions with friends, when we travel all over Poland - these are the biggest pluses of running.’ It was not only the podium winners who gave positive feedback on the event. For Kalina, a first-year student, the Rector's Cup Run was a motivation to return to this activity, as well as an opportunity to take advantage of the beautiful weather and excellent atmosphere.
The sporting challenge was accompanied by additional activities prepared by the students, including solo and group dance performances. The event culminated with the awarding of the winners. The medals were presented by the Rector of UG, prof. Piotr Stepnowski, and the Deputy Director for Sports at the Centre for Physical Education and Sports, mgr Tomasz Aftański.
