Maria Urben: “I won a bronze medal on my birthday”

20 February 2020

The third-year student came third in 60 m hurdles at the Russian National Track and Field Junior Championship in Saint-Petersburg.

KFU team’s track and field coach, Senior Lecturer Nail Minebaev comments, “Maria reached a Master of Sport threshold and showed her best ever time at 8.51 seconds. She is the only Master of Sport in track and field at our university.”

Maria celebrated her 21st birthday on the race day. She confesses, “I was really shocked to know that I am among the three leaders and cried. It was really the best imaginable gift to grab a bronze medal at the national championship on my birthday. The coach and I were aiming at the finals, but I really didn’t expect to win a medal.”

Maria already plans to start preparing for the summer season – which, obviously, means not only competitive sports but also university exams.