Five Stirling athletes set for World University Games

Five athletes from the University of Stirling have been selected to represent their countries at the FISU Summer World University Games, which begin in Germany later this month.

Wheelchair basketball player Shayne Humphries and gymnasts Cameron Lynn and Crystelle Lake will compete for Great Britain, while swimmers Paige van der Westhuizen and Arvin Shaun Singh Chahal will represent Zimbabwe and Malaysia, respectively.

All athletes are sports scholars at Stirling – Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence – and Cameron and Crystelle receive additional support through Winning Students 100, Scotland’s national sports scholarship programme.

David Bond, Head of Performance Sport at the University of Stirling, said: “I am delighted that the University of Stirling will be well represented at the World University Games later this month. To have five athletes competing across three sports at the Games is a proud moment for not only the sports scholars, but also the coaches and the wider team that nurtures, develops and supports them daily here at Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence.

“We are all excited to see what our athletes can achieve over the coming weeks and wish them the very best of luck as they take to the international stage.”

Shayne Humphries

Selection for the Games caps a hugely successful season for Shayne, who joined the University of Stirling as a sports scholar last year. Over the past 12 months, he has competed at the highest level of his sport – playing with Lothian Phoenix in British Wheelchair Basketball’s Premier League and in the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation’s EuroCup.

He also won gold while competing for the University of Nottingham in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) competition – which allows players to compete for other universities due to the infancy of the sport in the BUCS programme.

Shayne, who was born with a hereditary muscle condition, started playing wheelchair basketball aged 11 after attending a parasports festival in his hometown of Dundee. Now, eight years on, the 19-year-old is relishing competing for Great Britain on the international stage.

Shayne, who is studying a BSc Sport and Exercise Science, said: “This is my first time competing for Great Britain – and it’s also the first time that wheelchair basketball has been part of the World University Games. It is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK, so for it to be included at the Games is great and I’m happy to be part of the first ever squad.

“As a team, we will be looking to medal, but on an individual level, with being quite young, for me it’s just about getting experience of playing internationally. It’ll be interesting to see what the level of competition is like at the Games.”

Reflecting on his first year at Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence, he added: “The programme has been great – the access to the facilities and the level of training and support I get here through the scholarship programme has been excellent.”

Shayne is one of four players on Great Britain’s wheelchair basketball squad, with the event played in a fast-paced, three players per team format.

Cameron Lynn

Cameron, from Stirling, also joined the University last year, having spent the previous three years purely focused on his sport, and cites the past 12 months as being his most successful to date.

The 22-year-old sports scholar, who is studying a BA Sport Business Management, has previously competed for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, has medalled at World Cups, and has represented Great Britain at previous international meets.

Looking ahead to his trip to Germany, he said: “I’m feeling really privileged; it’s the first time I’ve been part of something like this from a university perspective and I’m really looking forward to it.

“The World University Games is really big in the gymnastics world – everybody is there, including Olympic and world champions. I’m excited to get out there and mix with all the big names.”

Cameron should be competing in all six apparatus events – floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, the vault, the parallel bars and the high bars. He has set his sights on making the all-around final – the competition where the gymnasts perform on all six apparatus and scores are combined to determine the winner.

Crystelle Lake will compete at the Games in artistic gymnastics.

Crystelle Lake

Artistic gymnast Crystelle Lake – who won the all-around senior women’s title at the Scottish Championships and finished sixth at the British Championships earlier this year – is in her third year studying a BA Sport Development and Coaching.

The 20-year-old, from Glasgow, said: “I feel really honoured to be a part of these games.

“This will be the biggest international that I’ve taken part in so I’m super grateful to represent both the university and Great Britain.”

Arvin Shaun Singh Chahal and Paige van der Westhuizen are on the University's high-performance swim programme.

Paige van der Westhuizen and Arvin Shaun Singh Chahal

Swimmers Paige and Arvin – both on the high-performance swim programme at the University – will represent their countries in Germany before flying out to Singapore for the World Aquatics Championships.

Looking ahead to the run of international competitions over the coming weeks, 22-year-old freestyle swimmer Paige – who represents Zimbabwe and studies Law – said: “I’m feeling good. Having the World University Games just before the World Aquatics Championships will be tough, but I’m excited.”

Arvin, 24, from Malaysia, is also a freestyle swimmer who recently joined the programme after moving from Australia. The MSc Digital Marketing and Brand Management student said: “It’s going to be very exciting – and I’m delighted to show my skills and what I’ve been training towards over the last nine months.”

Rhine-Ruhr 2025

The World University Games – which date back to 1923 – have grown to become the most important competition in international university sport. There are both summer and winter editions of the Games, with each taking place every two years. The 2025 summer edition takes place in the Rhine-Ruhr region of Germany from 16 to 27 July, where 8,500 student-athletes and officials from more than 150 countries will compete for medals in 18 sports.

World-class

At Stirling, athletes have access to world-class facilities, including a 50-metre pool, unrivalled outdoor space, and state-of-the-art strength and conditioning suites. In addition to its coaching and facilities, Stirling’s International Sports Scholarship Programme – one of the largest high-performance programmes in the UK – offers athletes funding support, academic flexibility, equipment and kit. It has supported hundreds of athletes since its inception in 1981 – with many competing on the world stage, including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

Core sports include swimming, golf, tennis, triathlon, football and curling, while individual scholarships cover all Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports.

Read more about sports scholarships at the University of Stirling.