Ukraine secures 12 medals, ranks in top 10 at 2025 Winter World University Games

The XXXII World Winter Universiade ended in Turin, Italy, on Thursday, January 23.

Ukrinform reported that.

At the 2025 World Universiade, 96 awards were contested across 11 sports.

The "blue-and-yellow" team competed in biathlon, figure skating, alpine skiing, hockey, snowboarding, freestyle skiing, and curling. It included 55 athletes from 21 higher education institutions in Kyiv and 11 other regions of Ukraine.

The student team of Ukraine won 12 awards during 13 competitive days, including:

• four gold,
• four silver,
• four bronze.

As a result of the overall team standings, the Ukrainian team took 10th place.

Ukrainian winners and prize-winners of the competitions:

• "Gold" – Bohdan Borkovsky (biathlon, individual race, pursuit race), Oleksandra Merkushyna, Serhii Suprun (biathlon, single mixed relay).
• "Silver" – Serhii Suprun (biathlon, pursuit race), Oleh Boyko (freestyle, big air), Mariia Aniychyn (freestyle, big air), Oleksandra Merkushyna (biathlon, mass start)
• "Bronze" – Bohdan Borkovsky (biathlon, sprint race); Daryna Chalyk (biathlon, individual race, pursuit race); Ukrainian national hockey team.

In total, the awards of Turin-2025 were won by representatives of 28 countries of the world:

• French students received the most medals – 40 (18, 8, 14),
• second in the overall team standings – students of the Republic of Korea – 20 (8, 6, 6),
• third – athletes of Finland – 15 (8, 3, 4),
• fourth – Japan – 19 (7, 8, 4),
• fifth – Germany – 23 (6, 9, 8).

At the last Winter Universiade held in Lake Placid, USA, in 2023, Ukrainian students won six medals: one gold, one silver, and four bronze, securing 18th place in the overall team standings among 43 participating countries.

For reference:

It is worth mentioning that for the first time, the Ukrainian luge team won a World Cup medal at the stage in Sigulda, Latvia – "bronze" in the mixed relay.

Also, the Sports Journalists Association named the most outstanding Ukrainian athlete of all time – fencer Olha Kharlan.

Moreover, Ukrainian freediver Kateryna Sadurska set her second world record. The athlete dived without fins to a depth of 84 meters while holding her breath, which is equal to a quarter of the height of the Eiffel Tower.