Two students from the University of Wollongong, Coby Ryan and Jono Keyes, have represented Australia in the Ultimate Frisbee World Championship held in the Gold Coast, Queensland.
The World Championship concluded on September 7 with the USA triumphing and Australia placing second overall. Both Keyes and Ryan played in Australia’s Open team – the Dingoes – who took home bronze.
23-year-old Coby Ryan said it was incredible playing on the world stage.
“Having people screaming your name on the sideline definitely creates an electric atmosphere,” Ryan said.
The championship was the largest Ultimate event ever hosted in Australia and the first time the Worlds have been held in the Southern Hemisphere.
Jess Wood, a teammate of Ryan and Keyes on the University of Wollongong’s Ultimate team, said the World Championship was an impressive showcase of skill, competition, and sportsmanship.
“It was a privilege to have the opportunity to watch the players that I have been following for years,” Ms Wood said.
Alongside the participating 1,400 athletes, a sizable crowd of spectators gathered on the Gold Coast to cheer on the national teams. From day five onward, the event was completely sold out, with over 1,500 tickets purchased each day.
“Ultimate is not a well-known sport, so to have such a large crowd there and pretty much everyone who’s interested in the sport following from home felt unreal,” Ryan said.
Ninety games were live streamed to large audiences with more than 30,000 viewers from around the world tuning in for the opening day event.
The China Media Group also partnered with the organisers of the event, the World Flying Disc Federation, to broadcast live coverage in Mandarin, with viewership reaching 6.07 million viewers throughout the week.
Ryan, who has played Ultimate since 2017, specialises in defence for the Dingoes. He also contributes to the team through the vital role of DJ-ing.
“I cemented myself early on as team DJ, providing tunes pre-game, post-game, and at every other opportunity,” Ryan said.
Aside from DJ-ing, Coby’s personal highlight from the week was scoring a goal with UOW’s Jono Keyes in Australia’s quarter final against Germany. Watch the exciting moment below.