Dubai: Women’s teams representing the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) won four medals at the 11th BITS Pilani University Sports Festival in Dubai last week.
The UOWD women’s basketball and throwball teams were crowned champions in the finals, while the women’s volleyball team and 400 metre runner Sara Sophariwala won silver medals in their respective competitions.
The inter-university sports festival saw more than 1,200 students representing 21 universities and colleges from across the UAE take part in a range of sporting competitions. UOWD participated in 12 events, including men’s football and cricket, men’s and women’s basketball, throwball, volleyball and table tennis, as well as men’s and women’s athletics.
The UOWD women’s basketball team won the championship after beating the Canadian University of Dubai by a comfortable 17-10 margin. The women’s throwball team came back from one set down to beat hosts Bits Pilani with a 2-1 set victory.
The women’s volleyball team was unlucky to finish in second place, only losing out to Bits Pillani by a 2-1 margin, while Sophariwala took to the track to win the runner’s-up prize in the 400 metres.
Harshana Badlani, captain of the women’s basketball team, said: “Our win was due to incredible team effort. We organised extra practices without a coach and this extra effort and teamwork paid off.”
Franky Barreto, Manager of UOWD Student Services, said: “All our teams put up sterling performances, demonstrating once again that UOWD is a force to be reckoned with in the sporting arena. We are looking forward to better results in the forthcoming Mahe inter-university sports festival.”
