ZJU's 2024 Sports Meet: inspiring students to embrace athletics and team spirit

The 2024 Sports Meet of Zhejiang University officially kicked off. Students, faculty members, and staff took to the arena, showcasing youthful vitality in sports activities and transforming campus life through sports.

Learn a sports skill

In addition to high jump, long jump, and shot put, this year’s sports meet also features events like discus and javelin, which students encounter less frequently. 

XIONG Zhiyi, an undergraduate from the class of 2020 at the College of Animal Sciences, won the women’s shot put championship at this year’s sports meet. Her journey with shot put began in high school, and upon entering Zhejiang University, she joined the regular athletics team, where she received professional guidance and deepened her understanding of shot put techniques.

“Participating in shot put has helped me find confidence,”XIONG explains. With scientific guidance from experienced instructors and a diverse range of sports activities as a stage for expression, XIONG's shot put journey at Zhejiang University has become more stable and far-reaching.  

Through platforms like physical education classes, sports clubs, and extracurricular coaching sessions, Zhejiang University offers each student the chance to learn a sports skill. Utilizing public sports facilities like the athletics field and swimming pool, students can train independently, experience the charm of sports, build strong bodies, and inspire everyone to grow vigorously.

Develop a habit of exercise

CHEN Kaifeng, a senior from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, participated in the university sports meet for the first time this year, winning the championships in both the men's 1500 meters and 5000 meters for undergraduates.

Since starting university, CHEN has developed a habit of morning jogging. He joined the Zhejiang University Kuafu Running Club and the school's regular athletics team, forming running friendships with fellow long-distance enthusiasts GUAN Jiahui and ZHANG Jingfan during campus marathon events. Notably, in the men's 1500 meters race at this year’s sports meet, GUAN Jiahui and ZHANG Jingfan secured second and third places, respectively.

Initially, CHEN chose jogging as a way to relieve stress and adjust his mindset. Now, running has become an indispensable part of his life. "This long-distance running habit has brought me not only various awards from competitions but also valuable friendships along the way. Friends are like family; their companionship during my university years has been incredibly warm and motivating," CHEN shared with us.

Zhejiang University actively promotes campus activities such as marathons and night runs, hosting over fifty events and thousands of sessions annually. This initiative encourages students to integrate sports into their daily academic life. Through exercise, students grow and thrive, with an increasing number of them at Zhejiang University developing a workout habit to alleviate the pressures of studying and life, allowing them to face various challenges with renewed vigor.

Join a sports team

In addition to track and field events at the autumn sports meet, team sports and water activities are also popular among Zhejiang University students. Basketball, soccer, volleyball, badminton, tennis… you can find students engaging in various ball sports, from high-level teams to regular student teams, and from sports clubs to self-organized teams, creating a vibrant campus sports culture.

Water sports are a standout feature of sports at Zhejiang University. The Water Sports Course has a long history here, with kayaking, dragon boating, canoe polo, rowing, and paddleboarding being among the students' favorite courses.

Gathering out of passion and striving together for goals, there are many such sports teams at Zhejiang University, including the aerobics team, ultimate frisbee team, rock climbing team, and more.

Zhejiang University emphasizes team-based education and has built high-level sports teams. To date, over 20 teams have been established, attracting around 600 student members and guiding 34 student sports clubs, ensuring that every student can find a suitable sports group.

Team members on the sports field are both mentors and friends. Through collaborative competition, they cultivate team spirit and a sense of collectivism, gaining happiness and invaluable friendships through unity and effort.

Participating in a sports competition

Relay races are a perfect combination of teamwork and individual performance. "My wish is to run in the finals at playground", said PAN Qing, a master's student from the Class of 2024 at the School of Medicine. This year, she signed up for the women's 400 meters and the women's 4X400 meters, finishing fourth and winning first place in the team event, respectively. 

"The sports atmosphere at our school is fantastic. I always meet various sports enthusiasts while running, and the passion for competition excites me."

This year, in the preliminary round of the women's 400 meters, she broke her own record and successfully entered the top eight, achieving her goal of participating in a final at playground, ultimately finishing fourth in the graduate group.

In addition to the sports meet, Zhejiang University has also produced a large number of notable athletes, including XIE Zhenye,the champion of the men's 100-meter race at the Hangzhou Asian Games, and WU Yibing, the first Chinese tennis player to win an ATP Tour title. Over the past decade, these athletes have won more than 800 gold medals, and received the highest honor in college sports, the President's Cup, three times.

In addition to professional sports events, Zhejiang University leads and promotes various brand activities, conducting events like water sports competitions and fun sports meets every year. Each student is encouraged to participate in at least one sports event each semester, making sports an integral part of their academic life.

Adapted and translated from the article written by FANG Neng, TANG Kun, YANG Linger, WANG Yiming, CAI Shenxue and YANG Zheqing

Translator: JIANG Sijia（'27 Accounting）

Photo: The interviewees, TIAN Siqi, LI Chenhao, QIN Xiaoyou, TANG Kun, MING Xuan, ZHOU Xinyue, FANG Neng, LIN Qianxu, LI Jiale, DONG Zhuohan, PAN Zichen, ZHANG Qinzhi, LV Bingkai, YE Xinning, YANG Jie, LING Jun, HU Zihao, JIANG Jiahuiqi, WANG Yuan

Editor: HAN Xiao ('25 Education), TIAN Minjie