European University Champion

Sandra Gomar Sánchez, a student of the Bachelor's Degree in Aerospace Engineering at the School of Aerospace Engineering and Industrial Design, won gold at the European University Kickboxing Championship, held in held in Poznan, Poland, from 23 to 25 August.

Three fights

She represented the Universitat Politècnica de València and won the KL women +65kg category. In a very tough first fight against Poland's Hanna Wysocha, she managed to recover from a difficult start and won by a narrow 2-1 margin.

In the semi-finals, she defeated France's Alexia Villegas with a resounding 3-0 victory and saved the best for the final, where Sandra Gomar beat Michelle Wendykier, one of the favourites from Warsaw, with another resounding 3-0 win. (Video: Semifinal 1:07:00. Final 2:52:50)

There was also male representation from the UPV in this championship. Jordi Marí Llobet, a student at the School of Agricultural Engineering and Environment, came fifth in the men's PF men-74 category.

Kickboxing is a combat sport that combines traditional boxing and martial arts elements such as karate and Muay Thai.

Since the age of 7

Sandra Gomar Sánchez started practising kickboxing at the age of 7 and currently trains three hours a week. She combines sports with her studies in the second year of her Bachelor's Degree in Aerospace Engineering. For her, this victory is "very special, above all because it marks my debut in the senior category. It is also a great motivation and an important step towards getting closer to the Spanish national team and competing in the next World Championship.

Organisation and having clear priorities are the keys to her success. 'My studies always come first, but sport helps me switch off and gives me the motivation I need to perform at my best in both areas,' she explains.

In addition to kickboxing, she likes rockets and everything related to space. The UPV Design Factory team, Faraday Rocketry, is what made her leave her hometown, Chiclana de la Frontera, to come and study at the UPV. She is currently part of the team, which allows her to ‘participate directly in the development of a sounding rocket.’

In terms of sport, her goal is to be selected to participate in the World Championships to be held from 21 to 30 November in Abu Dhabi, ‘and if that happens, to win it,’ she confesses ambitiously.

Text: Carmen Alcíbar, UPV Sports Activities Programming Unit and Carmen Revillo Rubio, UPV Communication Area

Photograph: Vicente Lara Sáez. UPV Communication Area