BU’s Golden wonder sprints to UK victory

19 March 2010

Student sprinter brings home gold and silver from the UK’s national student championships in Sheffield.

Bournemouth Chiropractic student Sven Knipphals made a record-breaking impact on the recent BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) Indoor Athletics Championships in Sheffield.

The 24-year-old from Wolfsburg in Germany won gold in the men’s 200m event and silver in the men’s 60m sprint. Sven swept aside the championship record for the men’s 200m after recording a winning time of 21.22 seconds. His time in Sheffield was just a shade slower than the 21.04 he clocked in claiming the bronze medal at the German Indoor Championships in February.

“I went to the BUCS event this year after running 21.04 knowing I could break the Championship record but to actually do it takes a lot of work and that’s why I am very pleased with the result,” said Sven. “Taking part at BUCS is always amazing as there is a very good level of competition. It is really great to win these medals. It was the end of a very successful indoor season for me.”

Sven is studying for a Masters in Chiropractic (MChiro) at the Anglo-European Chiropractic College in Bournemouth, an Associate College of BU.

Not satisfied with resting on his laurels, Sven is looking ahead to the outdoor season with one eye on the European Championships in Barcelona. For now, he’s very pleased with his latest medal-winning performance and the opportunity to represent Bournemouth at national level.

“It is very important for the University as Bournemouth is on its way up in terms of sport,” he added. “I am extremely happy with my indoor results but I am definitely looking forward to outdoor competitions.”