In Nowy Targ, Derieuw beat the Hungarian Anna Luca Hamori on points (5-0) in the semi-finals. The West Flemish boxing on Saturday evening (6.30 pm) for gold against the Turkish Busenaz Surmeneli.
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At 7:45 PM Vasile Usturoi will complete his semi-final in the men’s class up to 57 kilograms. His opponent is the Spaniard Jose Quiles Brotons. With their Olympic qualification for Paris 2024, Derieuw and Usturoi have already achieved their main goal at these European Games.
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“I just keep winning, that’s right. I’m on a good roll’”, she laughs after her qualification in the Nowy Targ Arena. “I’m very content. I had no stress at all today because the big loot is in. I told myself I was going to spar for a while. I boxed in a controlled manner, worked a lot with my ‘jab’ (quick right punch, ed.). I’m in great shape and the results are proof of that. It’s fantastic.”
To win gold, Derieuw must pass the Turkish top favorite Busenaz Surmeneli on Saturday evening (6.30 pm). “She is an Olympic and world champion, a real winner. After qualifying I told her I hoped to race against her. I want to measure myself against the best. It can be a spectacle. Now I have to rest and make sure I’m ready to blast again tomorrow night. I’m going from bronze to silver. It would be great to win gold now. Score immediately at my first Olympic tournament. It’s fantastic, I have no words for it.”
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Badminton: Tan disabled
Lianne Tan was in sack and ashes on Friday after her defeat in the quarter-finals of the badminton tournament at the European Games. The number 45 in the world ranking, sixth seed in Poland, had to give way to the Swiss Jenjira Stadelmann after a thriller and thus misses out on a medal.
“It is not possible, two points difference in the third set. It is very unfortunate that it is not in my favor today. That’s how it goes in sports”, Tan reacts after the loss 21-12, 7-21 and 21-19 against the number 71 in the world. Belgium’s number 1 initially had a hard time finding the right rhythm in the Jaskolka Arena in Tarnow. “I gave her too many chances in the first set to attack, to let her play. I let her decide the game”, she looks back. “I tried to change that in the second and third set. In the end it didn’t matter much.”
Tan misses the qualification for the semi-finals and the associated medal by losing by a hair. After all, the losing semi-finalists get bronze anyway. For the Limburg dentist it would have been a first medal at a European Championship. In 2015 she already took silver at the first European Games in Baku, but that tournament was not considered a European championship at the time.
“I am now very disappointed because this was a great opportunity to reach the semi-finals,” she confirms. “On the other hand, it’s been a very difficult year and I think I can be happy with a top eight here.” Tan tries to stay positive despite the painful loss. “It’s been a long time since I enjoyed my game and I really did here,” she explains. “It was nice to play for Team Belgium. I hope to be there again in Paris next year.”
Tan hopes to participate in the Olympic Games for the fourth time in the summer of 2024. In Poland she already did a good thing because points can be earned for the Olympic ranking. “A quarter-final is a very good result for the points. I am happy that qualifying is going smoothly. It is of course a pity that I do not win a medal at these European Games. A medal like that is the best there is, but for Paris this is a very good result.”
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Belgian épée fencers finish in 15th place
The Belgian men’s team in épée fencing finished in 15th place on Friday during the European Games in Krakow, Poland.
In the Tauron Arena, the Belgians opened with a 45-43 win against Portugal. In the eighth finals, Belgium had to recognize its superior in Italy with 45-16.
Germany (45-33) and Sweden (45-38) turned out to be too strong in the classification matches for places 9 to 16, Austria went for the ax with 45-33. As a result, Belgium finished in 15th place.
The competition is counted for the points ranking towards Paris 2024. In the individual tournament earlier this week, Belgian figurehead Neisser Loyola did not get past the sixteenth finals.
Badminton player Carraggi stranded in quarterfinals
For badminton player Julien Carraggi, the European Games end in the quarterfinals. The number 71 in the world was no match for the Frenchman Toma Junior Popov (BWF 28) in Tarnow, Poland, on Friday afternoon.
Carraggi lost to the third seed 21-16, 21-15. The match on court 3 at Jaskolka Arena lasted 43 minutes.
The 23-year-old Carraggi had escaped elimination on Thursday in his eighth final against the Norwegian Markus Barth (BWF 202). He then saved two game points. But against the 24-year-old Popov, winner of the European Championship bronze last year, the art sciences student at KU Leuven was no match. Yet he is not at all disappointed.
“I don’t think I can regret anything. I can only be happy and proud,” he responds. “Today was a little tougher. It was already my fifth competition day in a row. I’m still in a learning process, still need to gain experience. But I’m taking it step by step.”
Carraggi certainly did well in the first set against Popov. “I knew he would also be a bit tired from his singles and doubles matches. I gave everything and enjoyed every point,” he explains.
In badminton, the European Games also count as European championships. Last year, Carraggi stranded on his European Championship debut in Madrid in the sixteenth finals. Now he does two laps better. “I think I will look back fondly on this for years to come,” he underlines. “I don’t fully realize it yet, but I try to enjoy every second, in the village, here in the arena. It is amazing.”
Points can also be earned in Poland for next year’s Olympic Games. “Participating in Paris has been my main goal for several years now. I’m slowly working towards it and everything is going according to plan at the moment. Maybe even better”, concludes Carraggi, who won his first international tournaments this season with the Dutch International and the Austria Open.
Toma Junior Popov plays for a final ticket against the Danish number 1 in the world Viktor Axelsen. He is the reigning Olympic, World and European champion and had no problem with the Finn Kalle Koljonen (BWF 68): 21-10 and 21-9.
2023-06-30 16:05:52
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