The Spanish delegation has closed with great success its participation in the I Mediterranean Badminton Championship, held in Laško (Slovenia), where it has added a total of six medals: one gold, two silver and three bronzes. It has been an exciting final day, in which the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals have been played, and in which the national bádminton has been present in practically all decisive rounds. The great protagonists have been the male doubles, proof in which an entirely Spanish final was seen between Manuel Calero and Miguel Esteve against Jesús de Burgos and Martín Mosquera.
In masculine individual, Miguel Esteve signed an outstanding tournament by beating the Slovenian Tadej JELENC in the quarterfinals, although he fell in the semifinals against Frenchman Arthur Chardain. The Alicante did not miss the occasion in the duel for third place and conquered the bronze after imposing himself to the Gal Bizjak premises 21-12, 14-21 and 21-5. His companions did not have the same fortune: Alejandro Gállego said goodbye in the quarterfinals precisely against Chardain, while Natxo Cervelló gave in that same round against Bizjak.
In female individual, the three Spanish representatives stayed one step away from the medals. Ana Caballero gave in rooms against the French Elena Phan, second favorite, Sonia Martínez lost against the Slovenian Anja Blazina, and Ana Nóvoa could not with the first series, the Croatian Jelena Buchberger.
The great booty arrived in male doubles, the test where Spain dominated clearly. Calero and Esteve surpassed the first series heads, the Slovenians Gal Bizjak and Maj Poboljsaj, in the quarterfinals, and then to the Italians Enrico Baroni and Simone Piccinin in the semifinals. On the other side of the painting, Burgos and Mosquera were imposed on the Slovenos Jenc and Lin Lenarcic and the Greeks Anastasiou and Bulios. The final, played between both Spanish duos, will remain for the memory: Calero and Esteve started with a clear 21-13, the Andalusian couple reacted to match 22-20 in the second set, but finally the Valencians sealed the gold with a 21-14 in the third. Cervelló and Gállego completed the Spanish participation in the quarterfinals, although they fell in front of Baroni and Piccinin.
In female doubles, Ana Caballero and Rocío Martín reached the semifinals after beating the Maltese couple of Azzopardi and having. Although they fell against the French Guilbard and Nambot, second serial heads, they knew how to rebuild and ensure bronze by imposing themselves on Philipovic and Sabann by 21-14 and 23-21.
In mixed doubles, Martín Mosquera and Ana Caballero completed a formidable tournament reaching the final. They surpassed in the quarter Kattirzi and Pissi and in the semifinals signed a delete by eliminating the Petrovic and Loncar Serbs, second serial heads. Already in the final, they could not with the premises towns and Blazina, who traced an exciting encounter to impose themselves in three sleeves (21-17, 12-21 and 10-21). For their part, Jesús de Burgos and Rocío Martín also reached the semifinals, where they fell to the future champions, although they achieved bronze by winning in the match for third place to Petrovic and Loncar.
This championship, the first in its history, was born with the vocation to enhance the Mediterranean Badminton and has had the organization of the Mediterranean Confederation of Bádminton (Comeba) and the Slovenian Federation of Bádminton, in addition to the institutional support of the Spanish Bádminton Federation (FESBA). The event was attended by the president of Comeba and the Spanish Federation, Andoni Azurmendi, and the head of International Representation of FESBA and member of the Board of Directors of Badminton Europe, Mario Carulla. In the framework of the tournament, a recognition of the mayor of Laško, Matej Šantej was also delivered.
After this brilliant start of the calendar, the young Spanish volantists – mostly sub23 – face an intense international calendar. The next appointment will be the International of Costa Rica, followed by the Ibero -American Championship, also in Costa Rican lands.
Related reading
