Heavy rain on Sunday has slightly reshaped Monday’s schedule. Fistball will make up the matches that were cancelled due to the weather. Fortunately, the forecast promises much less rain to start the week, so all competitions are expected to run as planned. For spectators craving podium drama, there’s no need for an umbrella—unless they’re heading to the Chengdu Sport University Sancha Lake Campus Natatorium. There, water will be unavoidable, with 13 medal events in Finswimming and Free Diving alone.
One name to watch is Petra Senanszky of Hungary. On Sunday, she claimed gold in the Women’s Bi Fins 50m. On Monday, she will compete in the Women’s Surface Relay 4x100m.
Senanszky is remarkable not just for her results—she’s a five-time The World Games champion—but for her versatility: in 2022 in Birmingham, she won gold in two different sports, Lifesaving and Finswimming, an achievement that remains unmatched.
From the pool, we move to the mat. At the Jianyang Cultural and Sports Centre Gymnasium, Estelle Gaspard of France is set to make her debut in The World Games in the Women’s -52kg Fighting class in Jiu-jitsu. Ranked number one in the world for more than six years, she is considered virtually unbeatable. Seven gold medals in Jiu-jitsu will be decided on Monday.
Elsewhere, four more titles will be awarded: Orienteering concludes with the mixed relay; Inline Hockey and Women’s Lacrosse will crown their champions; and Tug of War will see the mixed outdoor 580kg final—a contest likely to test every ounce of strength.
In total, athletes will compete in 14 sports on Monday. While there’s no gold medal on the line in Archery at Qinglong Lake Park, there’s still a story worth watching: Florian Unruh of Germany will defend his field recurve title. He and his wife, Lisa, are both World Games champions in this discipline, and both earned silver medals at the Paris Olympics. Competing alongside them is Gary Yamaguchi of the USA—the oldest athlete in Chengdu at 68 years old.