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Gulf Today
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Gulf Today
UAE badminton players shine at Spanish International U-19 Championship
Alicante: In a sensational display of rising talent and determination, the UAE Junior Badminton Team etched their name in history by securing gold and silver medals in both men's and women's Singles at the Spanish International U19 Championship, which concluded in Alicante. This remarkable feat propelled the UAE to the top of the overall medal tally, ahead of badminton powerhouses such as Germany, Thailand, and Denmark. In the Boys' Singles U19, Riyan Malhan, who just turned 15, clinched gold after a series of stunning victories over higher-ranked and older opponents. His compatriot, Adam Jeslin, who is yet to turn 15, showcased equal resilience and skill to earn the Silver, making it a clean sweep for the UAE. In the women's singles U-19, the top honors went to Prakriti Bharath, who lived up to her second seeding with an emphatic, undefeated run. She overcame her teammate Mysha Omer in the finals, who fought valiantly to bring home the silver. Adding to the medal count, the new pairing of Jeslin and Omer brought home a well-earned bronze in the mixed doubles category. The duo stunned the second-seeded German pair in an early round, before bowing out in the semi-finals to the eventual champions from Thailand. They secured two gold medals in the singles events, with Malhan triumphing in the boys' singles and Prakriti claiming the top spot in the girls' singles. Adding to the tally were two silver medals: Jeslin finished as runner-up in the boys' singles, while Omer earned silver in the girls' singles. The duo of Jeslin and Omer also combined to win a bronze medal in the mixed doubles event, rounding off a successful showing for the team.
Al Etihad
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Al Etihad
Young badminton players do UAE proud in Spain
10 June 2025 00:15 KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)The teen members of the UAE Junior badminton team notched memorable performances while representing the country over the weekend in Alicante, Spain.A haul of five medals – two golds, two silvers and one bronze – at the Spanish International Under-19 Championship at the Pabellon Municipal Centre courts propelled the UAE to dominate the podium in three out of the five categories and finished ahead of badminton powerhouses such as Germany, Thailand, and the Men's Singles, days after turning 15, Riyan Malhan overcame some nervous moments but moved from strength to strength against higher-ranked and older opponents before eventually taking the gold in a proud achievement for the Dubai-born Indian teen."Winning the Spanish International U19 is a dream come true," said Malhan in a message from Spain. "I'm grateful to my coaches, teammates, and the UAE Badminton Federation for believing in me. This is just the beginning – I'll keep working harder to make my country proud on the world stage."The prodigy had also made history last year by becoming the first player from the UAE and West Asia to clinch a medal, bronze, at the Badminton Asia U17 & U15 Junior Championships in Chengdu, China. His father was a state-level player in India before moving to the UAE many years back as an this is not enough, there is more promising talent in the pipeline as was evident when his compatriot, Adam Jeslin, who is yet to turn 15, showcased equal resilience and skill to earn the silver medal behind the Women's Singles, there was familiarity on the honours board where Prakriti Bharath lived up to her second-seed billing with an emphatic, undefeated run to defend her title."Standing on top of the podium means more than just a win; it is a reward for every early morning and every tough training session. I'm proud to represent the UAE and hope this inspires more girls back home to chase their badminton dreams," Prakriti said on her successive title from the Spanish tournament. In doing so, she overcame her teammate Mysha Omer in the finals, who fought valiantly to bring home the to the medal count, the new pairing of Jeslin and Omer, 17, brought home a respectable bronze in the Mixed Doubles category, given their ages and mixed experience. Omer had won the women's doubles bronze last year with Taaiba with the raw talent of Jeslin, the experienced Omer still had to impress to stun the second-seeded German pair of Alexander Zhang and Aurelia Wulandoko though they could not prevent the latter from taking the silver. The UAE mixed pair then bowed out from the semi-final stage, losing to the eventual champions and Thailand's siblings, Tonkid Saeheng and Tonrug marked improvement in the performances is a reflection of the robust infrastructure and vision laid out by the UAE Badminton High-Performance Department, led by Michael Norbek as Performance Director. With strategic support from the UAE Ministry of Sports and development programmes such as "Road to Dakar 2026" and "Pathway to Los Angeles 2028", UAE's young shuttlers are firmly stepping onto the global stage. "To stand atop the medal tally in a field that includes Europe's and Asia's finest is a proud moment for UAE badminton. These results reflect our belief that excellence is achievable with the right support and hard work," a statement from UAE Badminton Federation President Noura Al Jasmi said. Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi
