NEWS

ICU Student Wins First Place in Women's Surf Ski Race and Third Place in Ocean Woman at the Japan National Intercollege Lifesaving Championships 2025

Update: October 6, 2025

At the Japan National Intercollege Lifesaving Championships 2025, organized by the Japan Lifesaving Association and held on September 20-21, 2025, at Onjuku Chuo Beach (Chiba Prefecture), ICU student Lena Matsuo (3rd-year student, College of Liberal Arts; major in Media, Communication and Culture, minor in Business) achieved first place in the Women's Surf Ski Race and third place in the Ocean Woman event.

Lifesaving sport is a competition that tests and refines the rescue skills and physical strength essential for lifesaving, with athletes striving to act faster and more decisively, ultimately for the sake of saving lives. While competitors aim for victory, the purpose of the sport lies beyond the finish line: to uphold the lifesaving spirit of protecting lives.

Matsuo is a member of the ICU Surf Life Saving Club, where she hones her skills alongside her teammates. This year, she also competed in team events, placing 7th out of 22 teams in the Women's Rescue Tube Rescue.

　

Comment from Lena Matsuo:
I am truly delighted that the hard work my teammates and I have put in has paid off through this tournament. I am grateful to be able to continue this sport in Japan with new teammates after first taking it up in Australia, where lifesaving originated. Training both in the water and on land to adapt to the often harsh conditions of the ocean has strengthened my ability to respond effectively. I hope to continue growing while staying true to the lifesaving spirit--the mission to protect lives. Together with all members of the ICU Life Saving Club, we will keep training diligently toward next summer's beach patrol activities and next year's national intercollege championships, making the most of another fulfilling year.