Duke’s Kopp earns bronze at World University Games

Rising junior Madeline Kopp spent the past week representing Team USA at the World University Games and capped the final day of competition Sunday with a bronze medal as part of Team USA’s women’s 1,600-meter relay squad.

On what was a rainy and windy day, Kopp handled the second leg of the relay for the Americans, teaming up with Akeyla Mitchell, Kimberly Mackay and Alissa Martinez. Receiving the baton in first place after Mitchell’s 52.76-second split, Kopp held steady with a 54.06 to help Team USA maintain the lead at the halfway mark. Poland and Russia eventually moved ahead, as Kopp and the rest of the relay team captured third place with a 3-minute, 37.20-second performance.

Running individually last week, Kopp kicked off the international competition Wednesday with a 54.93 showing in the first round of the women’s 400, placing second in her heat and qualifying for Thursday’s semifinals. A Rochester, N.Y., product, she then took fifth in her semifinal heat, clocking a 54.71 to miss qualifying for the final round.

This story was originally published July 12, 2015 at 8:13 PM with the headline "Duke’s Kopp earns bronze at World University Games."