– During the competition, the most important thing is to believe in your skills and be able to overcome crises, – says Zuzanna Jasińska, a student of Technical Computer Science at our Faculty, winner of the gold medal at 2023 World University Games in Chengdu.

Agata Grzelińska: How do you feel with such a great success? Have you managed to rest a bit, are you still celebrating, or are you back to hard work and training?

Zuzanna Jasińska: After the final run, we had a few more days in Chengdu to explore and celebrate, which we took full advantage of ;) After a short break, I'm back to intensive training. I am currently in Wałcz, where I am preparing for the World Championships, which will be held in Belgrade (Serbia) on 3-10 September.

Was the race for gold difficult? What is your recipe for a successful run?

The biggest difficulty during the run was for me to maintain the advantage I had gained at the beginning. I didn't know how much strength I and my rivals would have left for the second part of the distance.

I believe that during the run, the most important thing is to believe in your skills and be able to overcome crises that often appear.

How do you balance your education with training? After all, both studies and competitive sport are very demanding.

I try to have everything planned and not leave everything to the last minute. The teachers are also very helpful. I was able to arrange individual course completion procedures with them without any problems.

Do you have time for anything other than sports and studies? For some additional hobby, or for meeting friends, or a holiday trip?

Unfortunately, I have very little free time left. If I have free time, I usually use it to relax with a book, a movie or to meet friends. We have one month a year for holidays – in September after the world championships – then we return to the new training cycle.

How did you feel in China? Surprised? What was the atmosphere like during the Games?

I am really positively surprised by China and the University Games. I felt a bit like I was at the Olympic Games (in Chengdu we stayed in something similar to an Olympic village). The city itself surprised me at every turn. Everything was different than in Poland or even Europe. This trip was an amazing adventure that I will remember for the rest of my life.

And finally: what are your plans? Those regarding your sports career but not only. Is the competition to go to the Olympic Games in Paris the number one challenge now for you? Do you already have a plan for your further studies and professional career?

I try not to plan too far ahead. For now, I'm focused on the next World Championships. Next season I would like to compete for a trip to the Olympic Games and I think that will be my main goal.

In the coming semester I will be writing my engineering thesis, so if everything goes as planned, I should finish my studies in six months. What's next? I would definitely like to continue my studies, but I haven’t decided on the field of study yet. For now, I want to concentrate on completing my current studies, and then I'll think about what I want to do next.