Sydney Uni Ultimate Frisbee Club (SUUFA) members Andrew Wood, Alex Ladomatos and Phil White have returned home from Toronto, Canada with a World Ultimate Frisbee U23 Championship bronze medal.
The three SUUFA members, representing Australia, defeated Germany in the third versus fourth playoff to claim the men’s bronze medal.
After leading 13-9, the Australian’s were forced to fight for bronze eventually prevailing 16-15. The match was decided on a double game point – where the winner of the last point wins.
Earlier in the tournament Australia finished third in their pool after achieving victories over Switzerland, Italy, and Ireland and experiencing losses to Columbia, USA, and Germany.
In the quarter finals, Australia faced a strong Austrian team but took an early lead and held on to win 17-11.
This quarter final victory set up a semi-final meeting against the undefeated (and eventual champions) America. Despite taking an early 3-0 lead Australia failed to match their level of play and were defeated 16-10.
Andrew Wood, a member of the Australian men’s team and SUUFA, said “I feel incredibly proud and privileged to have been a part of this team. Everyone believed in each other and our processes and that conviction is reflected in our bronze medal.”
The Australian women’s team, featuring SUUFA’s Tamara Schai and Kim Spragg, finished seventh.
SUUFA representatives Yixuan Tua and Christian McBride were part of the mixed team that finished eighth. Former club members Alex Peters, Benjamin Sutas, Maximilian Halden and Laura Manescu were also all part of the Australian team.
