Badminton photo July 1, 2023 21:42 Written by Jonas Kildegaard Rasmussen
For the first time in their careers, Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup win the European Games.
In 2019, Astrup/Skaarup took silver with them from the European Games, where they lost the final to the British Marcus Ellis/Chris Langridge.
This year they got their revenge by beating Britain’s Ben Lane/Sean Vendy with a 21-15, 19-21, 21-19 victory.
– A lot of thoughts are going through my head right now. First of all, a big thank you must go to all those who have been with our team this week and also in all the weeks when we do not play championships. We have a good team around us who help us every single day and ensure that we can perform at a high level, so this medal belongs to them as much as it belongs to us, said Kim Astrup after the final.
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For Anders Skaarup, the victory also meant that he has a nice gift home for his son.
– I would like to say that it means everything. The funny thing is that my son has said: “Why do you always come home with a bronze and not any gold, dad?” I am very much looking forward to showing it here. There aren’t many of them in the cabinet, but I think it’s beautiful, and I’m incredibly proud of Kim and myself. There are many tournaments in a year and many matches to be won, and it’s not every time that you come out on top, so we also get a lot of trips from writers and comments, so we really have to enjoy being at the top, said Anders Skaarup after the match.
Read also: Live: Follow Saturday’s semi-finals and men’s doubles final at the European Games
Astrup/Skaarup were behind until 7-9 in the first set. From here, Kim Astrup took a service hour of nine points in a row to 16-9. In the end, the Danes closed the set 21-15.
At the beginning of the second set, the Danes went a little wrong with each other, and obvious opportunities were either shot into the net or outside the court. That’s why it stood at 6-11 on stay.
After the break, Astrup/Skaarup came further forward on the pitch and they managed to get on the net. But they didn’t quite catch the English as the set ended 19-21.
Trailing 1-2 in the third set, Kim Astrup got the serve, and he served a lead home to 8-2. It gave some air to the Danes, who struggled and frustrated Lane/Vendy. Still, the lead was regained at a critical juncture. Namely at 19-19. Here, Kim Astrup also had to receive treatment as he bled a little from his leg. But that didn’t knock the boys out, who secured victory with 21-19.
– It (the match, ed.) had everything a final should have. You can try to sit at home and put some things down in a form for what a final should contain and then you have the outcome of this final, and to stand with the gold medal here at the end, that means everything to us, said Kim Astrup.
Click here to see more results from the European Games 2023
Before today’s final against Lane/Vendy, the Danes had won the two matches between the pairs in two sets.
It is the first time that the British men’s doubles team has won a medal at the European Games.
Denmark has previously won gold in men’s doubles at the European Games. It was in 2015 at Carsten Mogensen/Mathias Boe.
Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup have previously won gold at the EC. That was in 2018.
Tags: Anders Skaarup, European Games 2023, Kim Astrup
Category: Elite, Front page, Medal, News
2023-07-02 06:56:07
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