Peking University students may be famous for their performance in the classroom, but students from the Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School (PKUSZ) proved, once again, that they have the will to succeed and push themselves on the sports field as well.
In order to carry forward the spirit of sports, the 28th Sports Culture Festival and the PKU 2021 Sports Meeting were held between May 7 and 8 at the main campus in Beijing.
After a rigorous round of tryouts, 46 students were chosen to represent PKUSZ in the event. Two staff coaches in charge of outdoor activities and sports education at PKUSZ worked diligently with the athletes for several weeks to train them for the competition.
The 33 student teams and 61 faculty teams who joined in the event enjoyed 100 different sporting activities, ranging from track and field to fun activities.
The hard work done to prepare for the event paid off. PKUSZ came first, retaining the championship for the 9th consecutive year!
See what some of the athletes had to say about their experiences at the PKU Beijing Sports Culture Festival!
Athlete Interviews
Wang Ning, PhD student, School of Environment and Energy (SEE)
“It’s unforgettable for me to take part in the sports meeting 4 times, and win the championship 4 consecutive times. Thanks to the support of PKUSZ and the patient guidance of our coaches (Coach Qin and Coach Hu). I hope PKUSZ will continue winning the championship every year.”
Pang Liang, School of Urban Planning and Design (SUPD)
“This was a touching and proud experience. In the past month, team members had been actively requesting for additional training, and the stars and moonlight of countless nights have witnessed everyone’s growth. I love the feeling of everyone trying their best during the games. That is the pure joy that sports bring.”
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Di Yaoyuan（翟耀媛）, HSBC Business School (PHBS)
“The most impressive thing for me was that when I felt sick and still had to compete, a group of friends accompanied me to warm up, welcomed me at the finish line and took care of me. Meeting these good friends is more gratifying than results.”
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Pi Pijin(皮皮瑾), SUPD
“It was a brilliant experience. I am glad to have the chance to strive for the common goal with so many lovely athletes. I will forever cherish the time we spent together.”
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Monica Yu (于明征), PHBS
“Inspired by my teammates, I broke my 800 meters running record. We were united as one and got the highest score within all the departments. It is a precious memory for me, and I will forever cherish our experience.”
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Xu Shenshen (许深琛), SUPD
“We do our best, we cheer for each other, we share the results and joy of each competition.”
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Li Siqi (李思琪), PHBS
“Never expected to have such a wonderful and meaningful experience. I will always believe that the harder we work, the luckier we get. Just do it [GoForIt]!”
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Zhang Shengyong, SUPD
“Our six long jumpers had been preparing hard for nearly two months. In order to achieve better training effect, we changed the field and the springboard. During the competition, I didn’t do well in the first five jumps, I ranked fourth. The last jump had a lot of pressure, but I adjusted my state in time and finally won the second place. We also successfully completed the feat of winning the top three of men’s long jump. I was very excited. The atmosphere of the team inspired me and I was proud of my team. In the end, almost everyone has foot injuries.”
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Dong Zihang, SEE
“This was my first time to participate in the sports meeting. It’s really a great pleasure to train and compete with everyone. It’s also a great honor for us to advance and retreat together! Of course, I am even more proud of the title of graduate student of Shenzhen winning for nine consecutive years!”
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Xia Zhidan (Daisy), School of Transnational Law (STL)
“I was extremely happy to participate in the sports meeting at PKU main campus. My competition event was 800-meter long distance runs. I strived to break my own record and It was challenging and exhausting. I thank all my lovely friends for shouting and cheering for me during the game and our coaches for training us. It was a joyful and unforgettable experience.”
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Judy, School of Advanced Materials (SAM)
“Although the time in Beijing to participate in the school sports meeting was only a few days, we all did our best. We have realized the significance of team work and the game of fighting together with our teammates is the happiest thing.”
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Chloe Wu (伍玉婵), PHBS
“It’s an unforgettable experience which is full of sweat, laughter, cheer and glory. I feel the power of team and unity, and the good result makes it all worthy.”
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Bao Qi (鲍琪), SEE
“Thanks to the Sports meeting. I enjoyed the happy time with my new friends and felt the power of our PKUSZ team!”
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Liang Xianhui, SAM
“This was my first time to join the university sports meeting. I was very excited while running in PKU track and felt proud of PKUSZ for winning the championship again! Another joyful thing is that we (members from PKUSZ marathon association) finally met our idols (the fast runners from PKU, the Boya running team).”
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Su Xinyaun (苏欣园), PHBS
“It’s a pleasant and exciting journey! I have more power in team race such as 4*100 and 4*400 :)”
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Gillian Jean Mutyambizi, PHBS
“Having my teammates and coach cheer me on gave me the adrenaline rush that resulted in me throwing my season’s best of 7.31m. With great TEAMWORK, CONSISTENCY & PERSEVERANCE, we brought the trophy home, for the 9th consecutive time! Couldn’t be happier!”
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Written by Gillian Jean Mutyambizi, Peking University
Photos: Peking University, members of PKUSZ team, Gillian Jean Mutyambizi
