NOVA University Lisbon returned to the World University Games in 2025, with four of its student-athletes representing Portugal in various sports. Their performances filled the academic community with pride, including an historic medal win in university tennis.
Pedro Araújo won bronze in mixed doubles tennis
Pedro Araújo, a Business Administration student at Nova SBE, was the standout performer among the NOVA delegation. As a member of the National University Tennis Team (SNU), he placed 17th in both men’s singles and doubles. However, it was in the mixed doubles event, alongside Maria Garcia of Auburn University in the USA, that he won the bronze medal — only the third in the history of Portuguese university tennis, following Nuno Borges’s achievement in 2017.
Clara Judas Paiva delivered a promising performance in rhythmic gymnastics
The 19-year-old bachelor’s degree in Agroindustrial Technology student at NOVA FCT participated in the individual all-around event, finishing 40th out of 49 athletes. Her best result was 34th in the ribbon event, demonstrating her great potential for future international competitions.
Rafaela Gomes Azevedo competed in the swimming semifinals
A master’s student in Medicine at NOVA Medical School, Rafaela competed in the 100-metre and 50-metre backstroke events. She achieved her best result in the latter, reaching the semifinals and finishing 10th out of 33 swimmers — a high-level performance in a demanding competition.
Filipe Almeida contributed to the team’s artistic gymnastics results
Undergraduate student on the Business Administration programme at Nova SBE, Filipe Almeida performed well in artistic gymnastics. His individual results included 49^(th) place on the horizontal bar, 60^(th) on the parallel bars, 19^(th) on the vault, 49^(th) on the rings and 53^(rd) on the floor. His performance helped Portugal achieve 16th place in the team standings.
These appearances bring the total number of NOVA students who have competed in the World University Games to 35, which further reinforces the university’s commitment to academic and athletic excellence.