EUROPEAN TOP NATION Denmark have grabbed all five top seeding spots for the 2012 European Championships to be played in Telenor Arena in Karlskrona from 16 – 21 April.

Denmark, who won four titles two years ago in Manchester, provide four of the top eight men's singles seeds. Five-times champion Peter Gade is the man to beat in the men’s singles. Gade, the record winner in that category, will play his last Europeans. So far the 35-year-old legend is unbeaten at European Championships at all. Since his first ever participation in 1998 (Bulgaria, Sofia), Gade did not lose a single match at European Championships.
 
Gades compatriots, Jan Ø. Jørgensen (silver medalist from 2010) and Hans-Kristian Vittinghus are second and third seeds. Germany’s Marc Zwiebler, the fourth seed, is looking to go one better than two years ago where he won the bronze medal.
 
In the women's singles Denmark’s former All England champion and title holder Tine Baun is top seeded as she bids for her second European title. Germany’s Juliane Schenk and Petya Nedelcheva of Bulgaria are second and third seeds. French’s Pi Hongyan takes the fourth seeding spot.
 
Denmark also fill the top two spots in the men’s doubles as former All-England-Champions Carsten Mogensen/Mathias Boe and team-mates Jonas Rasmussen/Mads Conrad are seeded number one and two. Boe and Mogensen are going for their first ever European title. Ingo Kindervater/ Johannes Schöttler of Germany and Poles Adam Cwalina/Michal Logosz are seeded to reach the semifinals.
 
The top seeding in the women’s doubles goes to the Danish pairing of Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl, who are number seven in the current world rankings.

Russia's top pair of Valeria Sorokina and Nina Vislova won in 2010 the first ever Gold medal at European Championships for Russia are seeded to meet Pedersen/Rytter Juhl in the final but Marie Røpke/Line Kruse (Denmark) and Sandra Marinello/Birgit Michels (Germany) are looking to create an upset. Swedish locals Emelie Lennartsson and Emma Wengberg are the seventh seeded thanks to a good season.
 
In the mixed doubles, title holder and former world champions Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl are only second seeded as their compatriots Joachim Fischer/Christinna Pedersen played a tremendous season taking the titles at French and Denmark Open Super Series. British Vice World Champions Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier are the fourth seeds. European legend Nathan Robertson, who will pay his last European Championships, and his partner Jenny Wallwork, are sixth seeds in Karlskrona.
 
But there are a couple of dangerous duos in the mixed competition like Polish pair Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Zieba, Germans Michael Fuchs and Birgit Michels and Alexandr Nikolaenko and Valeri Sorokina of Russia. The mixed event is probably the most exciting event as it features at least 8 world class duos.
 
A total of 282 players from 34 nations have entered the Championships and the draw will be announced on Tuesday, April 3.
 
These are the 22nd European Individual Championships. It is the third time they have been staged in Sweden as Karlskrona and Malmö staged the previous events in 1972 and 2002.
 
Seeded Players for the 2012 European Championships 
 
MEN’S SINGLES:

1. Peter Gade, DEN
2. Jan Ø. Jørgensen, DEN
3. Hans-Kristian Vittinghus DEN
4. Marc Zwiebler, GER
5. Pablo Abian, ESP
6. Rajiv Ouseph, ENG
7. Viktor Axelsen, DEN
8. Przemyslaw Wacha, POL

WOMEN’S SINGLES:

1. Tine Baun, DEN
2. Juliane Schenk, GER
3. Petya Nedelcheva, BUL
4. Pi Hongyan, FRA
5. Yao Jie, NED
6. Carolina Marin, ESP
7. Linda Zechiri, BUL
8. Agnese Allegrini, ITA

MEN’S DOUBLES:

1. Carsten Mogensen & Mathias Boe, DEN
2. Jonas Rasmussen & Mads Conrad, DEN
3. Ingo Kindervater & Johannes Schöttler, GER
4. Michal Logosz & Adam Cwalina, POL
5. Vladimir Ivanov & Ivan Sozonov, RUS
6. Chris Adcock & Andrew Ellis, ENG
7. Michael Fuchs & Oliver Roth, GER
8. Ruud Bosch & Koen Ridder, NED

WOMEN’S DOUBLES:

1. Kamilla Rytter Juhl & Christinna Pedersen, DEN
2. Valeri Sorokina & Nina Vislova, RUS
3. Marie Røpke & Line Kruse, DEN
4. Sandra Marinello & Birgit Michels, GER
5. Lotte Jonathans & Paulien Van Dooremalen, NED
6. Heather Olver & Mariana Agathangelou, ENG
7. Emelie Lennartsson & Emma Wengberg, SWE
8. Jenny Wallwork & Gabrielle White, ENG

MIXED DOUBLES:

1. Joachim Fischer & Christinna Pedersen, DEN
2. Thomas Laybourn & Kamilla Rytter Juhl, DEN
3. Alexandr Nikolaenko & Valeri Sorokina, RUS
4. Chris Adcock & Imogen Bankier, ENG/SCO
5. Michael Fuchs & Birgit Michels, GER
6. Nathan Robertson & Jenny Wallwork, ENG
7. Robert Mateusiak & Nadiezda Zieba, POL
8. Mads Kolding & Julie Houmann, DEN

2010 winners in Manchester

Men’s singles: Peter Gade (DEN)
Women’s singles: Tine Baun (DEN)
Men’s doubles: Lars Paaske & Jonas Rasmussen (DEN)
Women’s doubles: Nina Vislova & Valeri Sorokina (RUS)
Mixed doubles: Thomas Laybourn & Kamilla Rytter Juhl (DEN)

Click here for the seedings
See all previous winners of European Championships since 1968.

Photo by BadmintonPhoto