Official “see you later” and “welcome” day at the Brazilian University Games 2024 (JUBs 2024). The 71st edition of the biggest university event in Latin America took a brief break from competitions today. After a week of competitions in 19 individual sports, it was time for team sports, such as futsal, volleyball and handball. Around 3,400 students are expected in the next six days of competitions. 
The athletes in the first phase of JUBs (individual sports) say goodbye after six days of concentration, physical and psychological preparation and, of course, a lot of sweat. There were more than 1700 students, 101 parasportsmen, 163 technicians and 257 managers from all states in Brazil, in addition to the Federal District. Around three thousand people involved, according to Brazilian Confederation of University Sports (CBDU), organization of the event, including referees, organization members and volunteers.
Not to mention the participation of Olympic medalists Caio Bonfim and William Lima, JUBs ambassadors, and Petrúcio Ferreira, three-time Paralympic champion. In fact, swimmer Daniel Xavier Mendes, medalist at the Paris Paralympics, competed in this edition of the JUBs, in Brasília.
This Sunday (13), the day of the athletes’ farewell, the Brazilian International Convention Center (CICB) – one of the 13 competition venues and which also served as JUBs accommodation and administrative center – remained busy. Luggage scattered, medals stored, tiredness and a lot of stories to tell.
Like the students at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), in Minas Gerais. Gathered on the Boulevard dos Atletas, carrying cell phones for the return trip, which lasted around 18 hours, they talked about this first week of competition.
Daniel Araújo is in his fourth year of Animal Science, he is a sprinter in the 100m dash, but he also competed in the high jump. He didn’t win a medal, but he took home learnings.
“The level of competition was very high. It was my first time at JUBs. I realized that I need to dedicate myself more and, next year, I will leave here with a medal around my neck. It was the biggest event I attended in my life. It exceeded all my expectations, I’ve never seen anything so insane. I’m going to try really hard to come to the next ones.”
Thayana Soares is not a JUBs “freshman”. She completed the Physical Education course at UFV the week before the event and competed in 5km and 10km long distance races. She had already competed in basketball at the beginning of college, but admitted that running in Brasília was not easy.
“I trained in peak weather, in the worst conditions, but nothing compares. Even the athletes who were used to it said it was really hard. This is my last competition. JUBs has changed a lot since the first time I came. This type of socialization wasn’t common before, it’s incredible.”
JUBs participants, Rafael Furriel, Ana Carolina Prado, Daniel Araújo, Thayana Soares and Rebeca Bamberg say goodbye to JUBs with many stories to tell – Maurício Costa/EBC
Ana Carolina Prado, who swam the 400 meter freestyle for just 19 years, was already thinking about returning.
“It’s 6pm back now, right? Tiring. I came with butterflies in my stomach, but everything went well here, with the exchange of experiences with other students. It exceeded my expectations. The pool was a little slow, but it didn’t get in the way.”
Within Viçosa’s group there was an intruder. Rebecca Bamberg. Postgraduate student in Sports Physiotherapy at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). The “close enemy” came to compete in the long jump and put local rivalries aside for the greater good.
“The girls here were joking with me, talking about UFMG, but you have to take it in stride. This happens every championship. When the competitions are in Minas Gerais the rivalry becomes more intense, but here we are one thing, representing the state”, he joked.
Return trip for tennis athletes, table tennis, parasports table tennis, athletics, parasports athletics, judo, taekwondo, swimming, parasports swimming, jiu-jitsu, breaking, badminton, parasports badminton, 1×1 basketball, Clash Royale, Free Fire , League of Legends. In total, 823 medals were distributed (327 gold, 230 silver and 264 bronze) in addition to 109 trophies (37 gold, 34 silver and 37 bronze).
* Maurício Costa traveled to Brasília at the invitation of CBDU
