Members of the Centre for Advanced Laser Applications (CALA) launched themselves into the cosmos at this year’s “Master of the Olympic Lake” dragon boat race, securing a stellar third-place finish while claiming top honors for their out-of-this-world costume design. Held on July 4th at Munich's Olympic Lake, the annual aquatic competition once again brought together teams from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich) and Technical University of Munich (TUM) for an exhilarating day of racing.
Following their successful participations referencing calamari (CALAmari) and colors (CALAful), the team chose a space-inspired theme (InterCALAktisch) for their third partaking in the event. Their custom-made costumes proved to be a universal hit, earning them first place in the creative costume competition, while their athletic performance was also nothing short of astronomical. In their second qualification race, the CALA team was more than three seconds faster than in last year’s finals and achieved the fastest time (1:18.0) of the entire day across all competing boats. This remarkable qualifying performance secured their passage to the semi-finals with ease, setting high expectations for the final rounds.
The finals brought intense competition, with CALA maintaining their stellar form to claim a well-deserved third-place finish. While they couldn't quite reach the podium’s top tier, their consistent performance throughout the day and over the years showcases the same precision and teamwork that defines their approach to cutting-edge laser research. Adding to CALA’s success story, Stefan Karsch once again took to the water in the traditional professors’ race between LMU and TUM. Continuing his winning streak, Karsch secured victory for Team LMU, proving that CALA’s competitive spirit spans across all levels of the university community. With their strong showing, the CALA team has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the yearly competition.
The team extends their sincere appreciation to Trumpf Scientific Lasers and InnoLas for their support of the event.
Pictures: Thorsten Naeser
