After a busy day in which the winners had to get through three matches to fight for the gold, the young talents gave their all today in the two finals of the singles events.
Today in Basnká Bystrica, on the fourth day of the European Youth Olympic Games, it was to be decided who would be the boys’ singles and girls’ singles champions. It was a long day yesterday, with the young athletes competign in the round of 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals.
Sweden’s Romeo Makboul, regining European U15 Championships champion and European U17 Championships bronze medallist, took on Mateusz Golas, Poland, in the semifinal. The Swede won in straight games, just like Denmark’s Salomon Thomasen, who won against Pascal Lin Cheng, Austria.
With the bronze medallists already decided, it was time for the two finalists to play for the gold in the final match. Makboul and Thomasen, who remained unbeaten all throughout the event, played a close match. The first game saw the number four seed Makboul win but Salomon pushed harder in the second to take the match to a third game and eventually take the win 19-21, 23-21, 21-15.
In girls’ singles, the first semifinal was between Nella Nyqvist, Finland, and Maria Højlund Tommerup, Denmark. The last time the two young talents faced each other was in the 2020 European U15 Championships, in an encounter that went to three games. This time Nyqvist, the 2020 European Junior Championships bronze medallist, got to seal the deal in two games against the 2021 European U17 Championships mixed doubles winner.
Ravza Bodur, Turkey, got past Lithuania’s Vilte Paulauskaite to secure a spot in the final. It was a rematch of the 2020 European U15 Championships final where the Finnish player took the title. Both players demonstrated a high level these days and Bodur started off with more strength, but Nyqvist focused more on the game from the second game and delivered an even better performance in the closing game.
Salomon Thomasen and Nella Nyqvist will not only take home a gold medal from the European Youth Olympic Championships, but these wins have also made them qualify for the 2023 European Games to take place in Kraków and Małopolska.
Boys’ singles medallists
1 - Salomon Thomasen, Denmark
2 - Romeo Makboul, Sweden
3/4 – Mateusz Golas, Poland
3/4 – Pascal Lin Cheng, Austria
Girls’ singles medallists
1 – Nella Nyqvist, Finland
2 - Ravza Bodur, Türkiye
3/4 – Maria Højlund Tommerup, Denmark
3/4 – Vilte Paulauskaite, Lithuania
The badminton event is far from over at the EYOF Banská Bystrica. Right after the finals that happened this morning, the mixed doubles event has started and we now have the players who will be advancing to the Round of 16.
From today Thursday 28 July until Saturday 30 July, the mixed doubles event is being played at the EYOF Banská Bystrica. Watch all matches on
www.badmintoneurope.tv and
www.eoctv.org.