UNIVERSITY of New England (UNE) student and UNE Sporting Scholarship holder Melissa Mitchell will represent Australia in the pool this week at an international sporting competition in Kazan, Russia.
The 27th Summer Universiade, running from 6-17 July, is an Olympic Games for students. It is staged every two years and is second in terms of size and the standard of competition, to the Olympic Games. The event is widely recognised as a stepping stone for Australia’s current and future sporting stars.
Melissa is a member of the Australian Uniroos Team which comprises of 152 athletes from around the nation.
She will be competing in a number of events including the 50m and 100m freestyle, with the possibility of 4x100m freestyle relay and the 4x100m medley relay dependent on her performance in the individual events.
Melissa is studying sports science, through UNE while she trains at the Sydney University Sports Club under coach, Grant Stoelwinder.
This year there will be 12,000 competitors from around the world vying for medals across 27 sports.
“We are taking one of the largest teams we have ever taken with us to this event and there are a number of real medal hopes within the fold,” Australian University Sport (AUS) Chef de Mission, Martin Roberts said.
