The second round of the Hungarian University-College National Championship (MEFOB) dragon boat competition was held recently in Székesfehérvár. The team of Széchenyi István University performed very well once again, just like in the first round in Győr, and finished second overall in both the 200 and 2000 m races. Several competitors of the University of Győr are already preparing for the World Cup in China. 

Széchenyi István University is traditionally one of the most successful participants in the MEFOB, which is attended by students from Hungarian higher education institutions. The University has repeatedly proven itself as an organiser of sporting competitions, and this spring it successfully organised the MEFOB Festival, which included thirteen sports. The Széchenyi University team came second in both the 200m and 2000m in the spring round in Győr, while in the recent autumn round in Székesfehérvár it won bronze in the former and silver in the latter. These performances put the team from Győr on the podium in both categories.

The boat of Széchenyi István University achieved podium finishes in both rounds and in both events (Photo: Andrea Lunk)

"Our youngsters competed brilliantly on both occasions, despite the fact that some of the team has been replaced in the meantime. However, there is a good reason for this, as our students in the national team have put in an outstanding performance at this year's European Championships, the news of which has spread to Asia. The Hungarian team has been invited to the World Cup in China at the end of October, so our national team will be representing the national colours. They skipped the second round of the MEFOB because they are in the midst of their preparations for the international event, where the strongest teams from the continents will compete one another," explained Péter Hegedűs, the coach of the university team, which recently won the world championship title in the senior category. He emphasized that the young newcomers have stepped in flawlessly, nearly matching their spring performance.

"The students' performance shows that this sport is worth taking up at any time. It's a healthy form of exercise that can be done in good company, on the rivers and in a beautiful natural setting near the Győr campus. We welcome applications and encourage our students to try out dragon boating and join our team if they like it. The next opportunity to get to know the sport better will be at the ‘Get moving, campus’ event on 8-9 October," he concluded.

The Győr team that won a silver and a bronze medal in Székesfehérvár (Photo: Andrea Lunk)

The team of Széchenyi István University participated in the MEFOB Győr round:

Laura Bertalan, Barbara Bilstein, Blanka Bucsi, Réka Dankó, Rebeka Káli, Orsolya Nickl, Flóra Móricz, Nelli Schiewerth, Szonja Szakács, Areqat Fayez, Csongor Kurdi, Bence Forró, Balázs Kovács, Bence Kuska, Domonkos Nagy, Szabolcs Halmos, Balázs Szalai, Barnabás Stégmár, András Vajda, Márk Vingler, Szabolcs Rauch, coach: Szabolcs Túróczi 

Széchenyi István University's team participated in the MEFOB round in Székesfehérvár:

Kata Bíró, Barbara Bilstein, Réka Nagy, Réka Dankó, Katalin Vaday, Flóra Móricz, Nelli Schiewerth, Szonja Szakács, Areqat Fayez, Balázs Kovács, Barnabás Stégmár, Péter Neubauer, Bálint Simon, Márton Lugosi, Olivér Czimmermann, Szilárd Rauch, Gerda Fölker, coach: Túróczi Szabolcs