{"id":16040,"date":"2026-11-06T16:12:56","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T08:12:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/athletics.dukekunshan.edu.cn\/?post_type=latest-in-athletics&p=16040"},"modified":"2026-11-06T16:12:56","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T08:12:56","slug":"the-2026-dku-invitational-comes-to-a-successful-close-dku-wins-3-gold-trophies","status":"publish","type":"latest-in-athletics","link":"https:\/\/athletics.dukekunshan.edu.cn\/zh\/latest-in-athletics\/the-2026-dku-invitational-comes-to-a-successful-close-dku-wins-3-gold-trophies\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2026 DKU Invitational Comes to a Successful Close! DKU Wins 3 Gold Trophies!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kunshan, China – November<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Athletes beamed and the crowd applauded as the DKU Invitational 2036 came to a successful close. From October 31 to November 1, over 500 student-athletes from 9 universities competed across 10 sports over two days, attracting over 5,300 audience both online and in person. Here\u2019s a look back at this year\u2019s Invitational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pre-Match Group Photo of Participating Universities<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the Opening Ceremony, Athletic Director Zarko Krkeljas welcomed this year\u2019s expanded lineup of nine universities, including first-time participants, returning teams from nearby universities, and partner Wuhan University. Executive Vice Chancellor John Quelch praised the students\u2019 dedication to sport and encouraged them to carry its lessons in facing challenges into life beyond graduation. Dean of Student Experience Christopher Van Velzer reflected on what gives victory meaning: the training, effort, and support of teammates along the way. He encouraged athletes to value that journey and enjoy the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DKU Students Entering the Opening Ceremony<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Both football trophies stayed with the hosts as DKU claimed the men\u2019s and women\u2019s titles. The women\u2019s team won both matches, scoring eleven goals and conceding just one. The men\u2019s title remained undecided until the final match. With all three teams finishing level on points, DKU\u2019s earlier 3\u20130 win over XJTLU proved crucial, giving them the edge on goal difference to retain the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DKU Women\u2019s Football Team in Action<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DKU\u2019s women\u2019s basketball team won all three games to claim the title on home court. Two victories came by narrow margins: 39\u201336 against Wuhan University and 24\u201323 against Xi\u2019an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in their final game. The men\u2019s competition welcomed six teams, its largest field yet. XJTLU took the championship with a 49\u201331 victory over International Campus, Zhejiang University in the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DKU Men\u2019s Basketball Team Battles on the Court<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DKU\u2019s women\u2019s volleyball team finished runner-up, following a win over Xi\u2019an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and a three-set contest with Wuhan University. Their close final match was a highlight of DKU\u2019s volleyball campaign. Wuhan University claimed the women\u2019s title, while Xi\u2019an Jiaotong-Liverpool University won the men\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DKU Women\u2019s Volleyball Team Claims Runner-Up Finish<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DKU\u2019s ultimate frisbee team finished the tournament as runners-up, with an 11\u20132 victory over Xi\u2019an Jiaotong-Liverpool University among the highlights of its campaign. All three teams completed their matches on the opening day, with Soochow University winning both games to claim the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ultimate Frisbee Players Compete at the 2026 DKU Invitational<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DKU\u2019s badminton team bounced back from an opening loss to win its next two matches, defeating International Campus, Zhejiang University and Xi\u2019an Jiaotong-Liverpool University 4\u20131 each. With two wins from three matches, DKU earned silver in the four-team competition, marking a breakthrough for the team at this year\u2019s Invitational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DKU Badminton Player Delivers a Powerful Shot<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DKU\u2019s tennis team also celebrated a breakthrough. A 4\u20131 victory over Xi\u2019an Jiaotong-Liverpool University helped secure the silver medal, as the team once again found success in this familiar matchup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DKU Tennis Players Celebrate a Point<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This year\u2019s table tennis competition brought together five university teams for ten matches, making it the largest in the Invitational\u2019s history. The expanded competition provided a platform for student-athletes from different universities to share their enthusiasm for the sport, gain match experience, and build connections across campuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DKU Table Tennis Players Ready for the Next Rally<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The closing ceremony took place in the Main Basketball Gym on November 1. DKU women\u2019s basketball player Sara Salazar and men\u2019s football player Jiahao Li served as hosts. Dr. Xiaoshu Li, Senior Advisor to Chancellors, congratulated all participants and thanked everyone who contributed to the event. Reflecting on the Invitational\u2019s fourth year, Li emphasized its role in DKU\u2019s educational mission and looked forward to exchanges with more universities. The ceremony continued with awards across ten competitive categories, as champions took the stage to receive their trophies and medals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Xiaoshu Li, Senior Advisor to Chancellors, Congratulates All Participants at the Closing Ceremony<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The 2026 DKU Invitational brought together student-athletes from nine universities, creating opportunities for friendship and understanding through sport. We thank all athletes, coaches, referees, volunteers, staff, and spectators for their contributions and support, and look forward to welcoming everyone back for the next Invitational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DKU Student-Athletes Gather for a Group Photo After the Invitational<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. DKU \u4f53\u80b2\u7f51\u7ad9\uff1a\u70b9\u51fb \u8fd9\u91cc<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. DKU \u8fd0\u52a8\u4f1a\u6d3b\u52a8\u65e5\u5386\uff1a\u70b9\u51fb \u8fd9\u91cc<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. DKU \u7530\u5f84\u516c\u5f00\u8bfe\uff1a\u70b9\u51fb H<\/a>E<\/a>RE<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Kunshan, China – November Athletes beamed and the crowd applauded as the DKU Invitational 2036 came to a successful close. From October 31 to November 1, over 500 student-athletes from 9 universities competed across 10 sports over two days, attracting over 5,300 audience both online and in person. Here\u2019s a look back at this year\u2019s […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":16052,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","class_list":["post-16040","latest-in-athletics","type-latest-in-athletics","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/athletics.dukekunshan.edu.cn\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/latest-in-athletics\/16040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/athletics.dukekunshan.edu.cn\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/latest-in-athletics"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/athletics.dukekunshan.edu.cn\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/latest-in-athletics"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/athletics.dukekunshan.edu.cn\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/73"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/athletics.dukekunshan.edu.cn\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/athletics.dukekunshan.edu.cn\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}