27 Jul 2025

Lithuania caps memorable Games as Britain celebrates its best day at Rhine-Ruhr 2025

DUISBURG - As she surged towards a gold medal on the serene waters of the Regattabahn on Sunday, rower Kamile Kralikaite (LTU) found herself in a strange situation – trying to speed up and slow down simultaneously.

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Kralikaite has enjoyed the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games so much, she did not want it to end.

“We were talking yesterday and we were like, ‘oh, the last race, oh no’,” she told the FISU Games News Service (FGNS). “Every single stroke we were thinking of that stroke, so it doesn’t go as quick. I honestly love it here so much.”

There was a race to be finished, however, and Kralikaite, along with Ugne Juzenaite (LTU), took women’s pair gold – just about. “I lost my oar on the last five metres and was just thinking, ‘where is the line?’,” Juzenaite said.

Lithuania also won the men’s pair’s, to take a third gold and cap a memorable Games for the nation of 2.6 million people, which last week also sealed the men’s 3x3 basketball title.

“We can combine education and sports very well,” Domantas Stankunas (LTU) said after triumphing in the pairs with his twin brother Dovydas. “So I guess that is why we are as good as we are.”

Great Britain quadruple gold tally

Great Britain, meanwhile, had by far their best day of the Games. They came into Sunday with a solitary gold medal – but the rowing powerhouse nation won three times on the Regattabahn (women’s four, women’s eight and men’s eight).

It was also a fine day on the water for the Netherlands’ rowers: they won the men’s double sculls and the men’s four, with jubilant supporters singing a traditional song before diving into the lake to celebrate.

“It was kind of crazy,” Adam Michael Street (NED) said after winning the double sculls. “I didn’t expect them to do that but it was really nice to have a first celebration in the water already.” Street’s partner was Nicolaas Dirkzwager (NED). “There will be some big parties, of course,” Dirkzwager said.

Success too for Czechia, Italy and Republic of Moldova

Also enjoying the atmosphere was Anna Santruckova (CZE), who won the single sculls. “My whole family are here and I think they were louder than the whole German crowd,” she said with a laugh.

Italy also secured double gold (women’s double sculls and mixed quadruple sculls), while Ivan Corsunov (MDA), won the men’s single sculls title.

The last word can go to Lithuania’s Kralikaite, who summed up a memorable week-and-a-half in Germany.

“The whole atmosphere in the FISU Games is literally the same as the Olympic Games, just younger people,” she said. “Everything is just so much fun.”

See you in 2027.

FGNS nm/pp/mb