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(Photo: BWF)
EC Legends: Poul-Erik Høyer
Date: 4/15/2021 5:11 PM
Published by : Alan Raftery
Poul-Erik Høyer will forever be remembered as the first European to win an Olympic gold, however, his treble at the European Championships paved the way to glory. 

Høyer was born in 1965 in Helsinge, a small town north of Copenhagen. There must have been something in the water in Helsinge in 1965, as cyclist Rolf Sørensen was also born in the town that very year. Sørensen won the silver medal in the Individual Road Race at Atlanta 1996 Olympics. At the same Olympics, Høyer won the gold in the men’s singles, defeating the third seed Dong Jiong of China, 15-12, 15-10. 

As we approach the 2021 European Championships in Kyiv, the stylish left-handed Dane, along with Flemming Delfs, still hold the record number of consecutive men’s singles titles with three. It is these three major titles that kept Høyer on track towards that Olympic success. 

Only one other European has reached similar Olympic heights, and that is Carolina Marin, who herself won a double European title on her way to gold in Rio 2016. That is why it is wise to look very closely at the top of the European podium this year. 

Finishing off the hattrick
Høyer won the 1992 and 1994 European Championships in Scotland and the Netherlands. In 1995, he had to settle for a bronze at the World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, coming up against the eventual champion, Hariyanto Arbi. 

At 30 years old, he was still hungry for more and travelled the short distance to Herning, Denmark, for the 1996 European Championships, seeking to complete his hattrick of titles and make a statement in an Olympic year. 

Navigating his way safely to the final, he met his training partner, another talented left-hander, Peter Rasmussen. At nine years younger, the final was seen as experience vs youth. The two met in Rasmussen’s only senior final to date at the 1994 Dutch Open. 

Høyer scored a dominant victory that time and had the significant upper hand in the first game at the European Championship final, winning 15-5. Rasmussen came back strong in the second and was leading 11-10 when a series of unforced errors by the aggressive Rasmussen handed Høyer the lead and then the game at 15-11.

Danish badminton celebrated a first at the European Championships as Danish players secured the clean sweep in all categories on home soil. To this day, it has been the only time this has happened. 

Poul-Erik Høyer became President of Badminton Europe in 2010. In 2007, he was nominated Vice-President of the Danmarks Badminton Forbund and in 2013 Høyer was elected President of the Badminton World Federation. 

The 2021 European Championships will take place in Kyiv, Ukraine from 27 April to 2 May.

All matches can be watched www.badmintoneurope.tv
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