Gabriela, 26, and Stefani, 25, are still young and yet have already managed to grab a spot amongst the world’s best, currently 13 in the world’s rankings and taking over the top position in the Europe. It has been a few years now since they have been taking over not just Europe’s, but also international tournaments, and in 2021 they are more than ready to continue their reign as European champions.

The seemingly unstoppable sisters have not yet deceived with their latest performances and so it is expected of them to get far in next week’s Championships. In the 2017 European Championships, the Stoevas won silver, losing the top prize to Danish legends Kamilla Rytter Juhl/ Christinna Pedersen. In the 2018 event, they finally got their hands on the gold after defeating France’s Émilie Lefel/ Anne Tran. So, they are no strangers to succeeding in European badminton’s biggest challenge.

When it comes to Championships medals, they’ve done it twice and they could well do it again. Still, Stefani does not want to linger in the past, losing herself in old victories. She would rather focus on what they can achieve in the future and relishes the prospect of winning at the upcoming event.

-Our target is to give a good performance in Kyiv. We won it in 2018 and it’s already in the past, Stefani stated.

Three years have passed since becoming European champions for the first time, and they have definitely upped their game. With plenty more experience, it is now a matter of how well they manage in this event and how they cope with the pressure while being the favourites.

Could the sisters be looking to match the historic results that the duo of Kamilla Rytter Juhl/ Christinna Pedersen accomplished? The amazing feat of the Danes of earning a total of four gold medals at the European Championships is without a doubt no easy task, but the Stoevas are surely in to get their third medal and, perhaps, their second gold. Stefani knows that in order to do so, they first need to overcome huge games against some tough opponents.

-Every duo in Europe has improved a lot and we have to be 150 per cent ready for a good challenge starting from the first round, Stefani declared.

It comes down to many factors to get one’s hands on the title, be it lucky draws, managing to beat long-time rivals, and so on. For Stefani, though, it is almost as if the sisters were not so worried about who they will be facing, but how they will rise up to the occasion and keep the energy and ambition up until the end. For the Stoevas, it is obviously crucial to concentrate on defeating their opponents, but more importantly to not let the external factors affect their internal dynamics, keeping their heads in the game and striking a balance of their own.

-Every pair would want to win the title and I think our biggest opponent is ourselves.

So with their eyes set on the title and not much time left to prepare for the massive event, we wonder, will the Stoevas leave empty-handed or continue their way up in badminton history? Could they repeat their gold strike in 2018, perhaps defeating France’s powerful pair Émilie Lefel/ Anne Tran, or in a final clash against one of the other contenders? We will get to see how Gabriela and Stefani do in no time, as the big event is less than a week away. They will first be facing either the Estonian pair Kati-Kreet Marran/ Helina Rüütel or the Russian duo Viktoriia Kozyreva/ Mariia Sukhova. The women’s doubles category will certainly be an exciting fight for the crown of Europe’s best. 

The 2021 European Championships will take place in Kyiv, Ukraine from 27 April to 2 May. For more information about the 2021 European Championships, click here.

All matches can be watched at www.badmintoneurope.tv.