Two Dutch duos still have a chance to win a medal at the European Badminton Championships in Madrid. Selena Piek and Robintabeling have joined the last four in the mixed doubles and Ruben Jille and Ties van der Lecq qualified for the semi-finals in the men’s doubles.
With two medal chances, the Dutch team is on course to surpass the performance of the previous European Championship. Then a bronze medal was won in Kiev, by Piek and Chreyl Seinen in the women’s doubles.
Today Piek andtabeling recorded a great victory in the mixed doubles. The fifth-placed duo was too strong in three sets for the Danish couple Christina Bøje/Mathias Christiansen, who was placed third. It was 18-21, 21-17, 21-14.
Piek already has several European medals
The joy was great after the winning point. Piek and Tafeling got down on their knees and fell into each other’s arms. The 30-year-old Piek already managed to win a bronze European Championship medal in 2016 in the mixed doubles on the side of Jacco Arends. She already has four European medals in women’s doubles. In addition, she won gold at the 2019 European Games together with Seinen.
Tafeling (28) has never won a European Championship medal in the mixed doubles; in the men’s doubles he already took bronze three years ago.
In the men’s doubles, Ruben Jille and Ties van der Lecq were clearly a size too big for Torjus Flaatten and Vergard Rikheim from Norway. It became 21-13, 21-13 for the Dutch.
Jille’s sister Debora Jille was unable to provide a stunt in the women’s doubles together with Cheryl Seinen. The Bulgarian sisters Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva, placed first in Madrid, were far too strong with 21-16, 21-13.
