The UniRoos will send its largest ever athletics team to the 2025 FISU World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany with 66-student athletes selected to compete at one of the world’s most prestigious multi-sport meetings.
Confirmed by Australian Athletics and UniSport Australia today, the team blends experience and emerging talent, featuring four Olympians, six global medallists and some of the brightest prospects rising through the nation’s university and high-performance pathways.
With up to 8,500 athletes and officials from 150 nations set to descend on Germany, the World University Games offer a unique championship setting, combining elite competition with academic ambition and giving athletes a vital taste of international exposure.
Among the Australian contingent are four Olympians in Kristie Edwards (NSW), Connor Murphy (NSW), Rebecca Henderson (VIC) and Olivia Sandery (SA). The quartet will be joined by three global medallists at the Under-20 level in world champions Delta Amidzovski (NSW)and Isaac Beacroft (NSW), as well pole vaulter Tryphena Hewett (SA) – signalling the strength of Australia’s next generation.
Australia’s race walking legacy at the World University Games will again be on display, with 2023 20km Race Walking team medallists Will Thompson (VIC), Mitchell Baker (ACT) and Tim Fraser (ACT) returning alongside Beacroft and Corey Dickson (ACT), this time with their sights set on gold.
“Chengdu in 2023 was an amazing experience where I got to experience proper championship racing for the first time. It was my first time preparing for and peaking for a championship at that time of the year and I learnt heaps of valuable lessons,” Thompson said.
“The team bronze was a really nice experience, especially being able to do it alongside those boys. We’ve certainly all improved nicely over the last two years and I’m sure that if we all show up to what we’re capable of on the day, we’ll be able to fight for medals again.”
Amidzovski, the reigning World Under 20 long jump champion headlines a group of athletes aiming to use Rhine-Ruhr as a launchpad toward the 2025 World Athletics Championships and 2026 Commonwealth Games.
“It’s an exciting part of my career getting the opportunity to step up to Senior competition. It’s a big challenge, but also a great chance to grow and test myself at a new level,” Amidzovski said.
“Coming in as a World Under 20 champion definitely gives me confidence but I’m going up against more experienced athletes, which will also be key for my preparation towards bigger stages like the World Championships.”
Australian Athletics General Manager – High Performance Andrew Faichney praised both the size and strength of the team travelling to Germany.
“This is not only the largest athletics team we’ve sent to a World University Games but one of the strongest in recent years. The team reflects the incredible depth of talent rising through our university system, with Olympians, global medallists and future stars all wearing the green and gold,” Faichney said.
“The World University Games are a pivotal platform in an athlete’s development, combining the pressures of high-level competition with the discipline of balancing sport and study. It’s an environment that can help build resilience and performance, and for many, it’s a launching pad to future success on the world stage.”
UniSport Australia CEO Mark Sinderberry added:
“Being selected to represent Australia as a UniRoo is a significant honour for any university athlete, The FISU Summer World University Games are the pinnacle of international university sport and outside the Olympics, they are the world’s largest multi-sport event. Selection as a UniRoo provides an incredible pathway to compete on the world stage.”
At the 2023 Games in Chengdu, Australia won six medals, including gold to steeplechaser Cara Feain-Ryan and silver to sprinter Reece Holder who both went on to earn Olympic selection the following year.
To be eligible to compete, athletes must be between the ages of 18 and 25, and either currently studying a diploma or higher at a recognised tertiary institution, or have graduated in the previous calendar year.
Australian Athletics Team for the 2025 FISU World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, 16-17 July:
Women:
100m – Georgia Harris (QLD, Paul Pearce, Griffith University), Olivia Inkster (NSW, Katie Edwards, University of Technology Sydney)
200m – Jessica Milat (VIC, Cathy Woodruff, Deakin University), Kristie Edwards (NSW, Andrew Murphy, Charles Sturt University)
800m – Hayley Kitching (NSW, Tim Kitching, Penn State University)
1500m – Klara Dess (VIC, Darren Gauson, The Australian National University)
5000m – Dess, Bronte Oates (NSW, Katie St Lawrence, University of Technology Sydney)
10,000m – Oates, Saskia Lloyd (VIC, Tim O’Shaughnessy, University of Melbourne)
Half Marathon – Bianca Puglisi (VIC, Frances Lipscombe, Victoria University)
100m Hurdles – Delta Amidzovski (NSW, Becky Amidzovski, University of Wollongong), Emelia Surch (QLD, Glynis Nunn, Griffith University)
400m Hurdles – Alesha Bennetts (ACT, Matt Beckenham, University of Canberra), Isabella Guthrie (NSW, Angus McEntyre, University of South Australia)
20km Race Walk – Rebecca Henderson (VIC, Simon Baker, University of Melbourne), Olivia Sandery (SA, Jared Tallent, Flinders University), Elizabeth McMillen (NSW, Jared Tallent, Griffith University), Alannah Pitcher (NSW, Frank Overton, Sydney University), Alexandra Griffin (WA, Jared Tallent, University of Western Australia)
High Jump – Erin Shaw (NSW, Alex Stewart, University of New England), Alexandra Harrison (NSW, Matthew Horsnell, University of Sydney)
Pole Vault – Georgia Tayler (VIC, Mark Stewart, Deakin University), Tryphena Hewett (SA, Kym Simons, University of South Australia)
Long Jump – Amidzovski, Samantha Dale (NSW, Andrew Murphy, ACPE)
Triple Jump – Desleigh Owusu (NSW, Andrew Murphy, Macquarie University)
Hammer Throw – Lara Roberts (QLD, John Frazier, Texas State University)
Javelin Throw – Lianna Davidson (NSW, Angus McEntyre, University of Georgia), Mia Gordon (QLD, Ben Thomson, Curtin University)
Heptathlon – Surch, Mia Scerri (VIC, Ralph Newton, Monash University)
Men:
100m – Joseph Ayoade (NSW, Greg Smith, University of Sydney), Connor Bond (NSW, Mick Zisti, Macquarie University)
200m – Aidan Murphy (SA, Nik Hagicostas, University of Adelaide), Christopher Ius (NSW, Andrew Murphy, University of Sydney)
400m – Terrell Thorne (QLD, Christopher Dale, Queensland University of Technology), Thomas Reynolds (VIC, Matthew Oakley, La Trobe University)
800m – Luke Boyes (NSW, Ben St Lawrence, University of Technology Sydney), Jack Lunn (VIC, Steve Fabris, Monash University)
1500m – Max Shervington (WA, Matthew Ramsden, University of Western Australia), Adam Goddard (SA, Riley Cocks, Deakin University)
5000m – Jonathan Harris (SA, Adam Didyk, University of Adelaide), Toby Gillen (QLD, Jill Boltz, University of Mississippi)
10,000m – Cael Mulholland (SA, Gavin Kennedy, Loyola University Chicago)
Half Marathon – Tom Bowers (VIC, David Lightfoot, Monash University), Benjamin Beischer (VIC, David Lightfoot, University of Melbourne), Connor Latouf (QLD, Jackson Elliot, University of Queensland), Luca Di Conza (VIC, Steve Fabris, University of Melbourne), Ben Ludbrook (VIC, Toby Menday, Australian Catholic University)
110m Hurdles – Austin Little (NSW, Andy Burton, University of Sydney), Colby Eddowes (ACT, Matt Vining, Arkansas State University)
400m Hurdles – Thomas Hunt (NSW, Ben Liddy, Western Sydney University)
20km Race Walk – Tim Fraser (ACT, Jared Tallent, University of Canberra), Will Thompson (VIC, Brent Vallance, Australian Catholic University), Isaac Beacroft (NSW, David Beacroft, Australian Catholic University), Mitchell Baker (ACT, Jared Tallent, University of Canberra), Corey Dickson (ACT, Jared Tallent, Swinburne University of Technology)
High Jump – Roman Anastasios (VIC, Sandro Bisetto, University of Melbourne)
Pole Vault – Aiden Princena-White (NSW, Zsuzsanna Olgyay-Szabo, University of Technology Sydney), Ben Conacher (WA, James Fitzpatrick, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
Long Jump – Liam Fairweather (NSW, Jason Fairweather, University of Newcastle), Alex Epitropakis (QLD, Stacey Taurima, University of Southern Queensland)
Triple Jump – Connor Murphy (NSW, Sydney University), Liam Glew (VIC, Deakin University)
Shot Put – Alexander Kolesnikoff (NSW, University of Georgia)
Discus Throw – Etienne Rousseau (WA, University of Western Australia)
Javelin Throw – Oscar Sullivan (QLD, University of Queensland)
Decathlon – Benjamin Guse (QLD, Annette Rice, Southern Cross University), Sebastian Reyneke (VIC, Steve Cain, RMIT)
By Sascha Ryner, Australian Athletics
Posted: 16/5/2025
