No One Ahead of Their Race Boat... Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology Wins Overall Championship at the 17th National University Rowing Competition

Highest Score Among All 7 Universities... Another Dominance Following June Jangbogo Competition

UNIST Rowing Team, Champions Nationwide in 8 Years, Sparks Rowing Boom in Ulsan

The UNIST Rowing Team, overall champions at the 17th National University Rowing Competition.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology) race boat has once again seized university supremacy. Prestigious universities boasting strength and history were swept away by UNIST's momentum.

The UNIST rowing team won the overall championship at the "17th National University Rowing Competition" held over two days from the 23rd to 24th at the Ye-dangho Rowing Stadium in Chungnam.

This was the second good news this year following the overall victory at the 48th Jangbogo National Rowing Competition held in June. Rowing is a water sport where competitors race by rowing oars to increase the speed of the boat.

Hosted by the Korea Rowing Association and Yesan County Sports Council, and organized by the Chungnam Rowing Association and Seoul National University, this competition featured rowing teams from seven universities including UNIST, Seoul National University, Korea University, Yonsei University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, DGIST, and Inha University.

The university rowing competition holds races for both current students (YB) and alumni (OB), with the final championship decided based on the results of the current students' races.

The UNIST rowing team took first place in both the men's YB eight (8+) event, known as the "flower of rowing," and the men's YB coxed four (4+) event.

Students from the UNIST rowing team who took first place in the eight race, known as the "flower of rowing."

They also placed second in the women's YB coxed four (4+) event, securing the overall championship. This overall victory marks the first time since the founding of the UNIST rowing team that they have won the university rowing competition overall championship.

Park Hyun-ji, vice-captain of the rowing team and a sophomore in Mechanical Engineering at UNIST, said, "I am truly happy to have achieved the long-cherished overall championship at the university rowing competition for the UNIST rowing team," adding, "I am proud of the team members who endured the tough month-long training camp together, and we will work even harder to continue this glory."

Kim Jung-yeon, Director of Student Affairs at UNIST, said, "I was moved by the rowing skills and passion of the UNIST rowing team students," and added, "I hope more UNIST students will take on challenges in any field, and we will support various student activities and university exchange programs."

The university rowing competition evolved from a friendly competition among Seoul National University, Yonsei University, and Korea University into the country's top amateur rowing competition.

It is also famous for being the only amateur competition in Korea that holds a 2000m eight (8+) race. Students from each university dedicate themselves to training by attending a training camp for about 4 to 5 weeks starting with the summer vacation for this competition.

Kim Hwan-wook, part leader of the UNIST Leadership Center, said, "UNIST has participated in the university rowing competition since 2015, but due to adverse conditions such as poor training facilities, they had not been able to win the overall championship," adding, "This year, after a month-long training camp in Busan starting June 25, they strengthened their determination and achieved the top position."

Founded in 2013 with the goal of nurturing science and technology talents with strong physical fitness, teamwork, and leadership, the UNIST rowing team has evolved into the "Ulsan-UNIST Sports Club," spreading rowing culture in Ulsan.

In 2021, it was selected for the Korea Sports Council's sports club project with a total project budget of 400 million won, providing rowing experiences to citizens and conducting mentoring activities for local youth.

Currently, the Ulsan-UNIST Sports Club trains together with the Taehwagang Rowing Club and the UNIST faculty and staff rowing team, and owns six rowing boats including two eights and one lifeboat.