The athlete from the Xàtiva Badminton Club Thomas Wandschneider has been proclaimed world champion in para badminton at the Hulic Daihatsu BWF Para Badminton World Championships, held last week in Tokyo (Japan). The player of German origin, who plays for the Setabense club, hung his WH1-WH2 Men’s Doubles Gold Medal, in which Thomas participated with his partner Rick Cornell Hellmann, of the German team. Thomas and Rick started as the tournament’s No. 2 seeds and made it through the group stage by resoundingly beating their rivals, the Australian and Egyptian pairs.
In the quarterfinals, the German couple beat the Israelis Konstantin Afinogenov and Amir Levi, 21-15 and 21-7. The victory gave them access to the semifinals, where a tough confrontation awaited them against the Koreans Jeong Jaegun and Yu Sooyoung. The match lasted for an hour and twenty minutes, in which Thomas and Rick prevailed in the first set, the rivals reacted in the second and the Germans took the victory in an even third set that decided in the end. They won 21-13, 18-21 and 24-22.
In the final, Thomas and Rick met the No.1 seeds, the Malaysian pair of Noor Azwan Noorlan and Muhammad Ikhwan Ramli. They were ahead at the beginning of the set, but the Germans came back and took the lead, winning 21-11 and 21-15 and becoming world champions in para badminton.
Thomas Wandschneider also competed in the individual categoryin which he also started as seed number 2, and grazed the bronze. He got through the group phase without difficulty and in the round of 16 he got rid of the Indian Prem Kumar Ale by 21-13 and 21-19. Local sportsman Keita Nishimura was waiting for him in the quarter-finals, and he did not make it easy for him. The first set was for the Japanese, 21-17, in the second Thomas equalized the match winning 19-21, and in the third set it was very even, finally opting for the Japanese for a tight 26-24, which left the CB Xàtiva player very close to achieving the bronze medal.
Badminton Xàtiva highlights the “great world championship” of Thomas, the most veteran of the athletes who compete in the chair modality, and who “continues to show a great form and level of play”, highlighting “the great work he has done in the last year and a half to prepare for this world championship and the paralympic games”. They point out that Thomas “is a great reference for all the athletes of the Xàtiva Badminton Club”.
Gold and silver in the Top Master Senior
On the other hand, Setabenses Mª José Mompó and Julio Martin disputed the Top Master Seniorheld last weekend in Ronda (Andalusia)where did they get one gold and one silver for the club setabense. M.ª José and Julio competed in the mixed doubles of the B1 category, where they became champions after beating the Andalusians David Sierra and Sonia Vokes in the final by a double 21-19. On the way to the final, they dismounted the number 2 seeded couple from the winch, Manuel Berrocal and Carmen Martínez, whom they defeated in the semifinals by 21-7 and 21-17.
Mª José also competed in the individual modality, in which she won the silver medal after losing in the final to Vanessa Serrano from Madrid, 21-17 and 24-22. The one from Xàtiva beat Zulema Martínez, from Drop Toledo, in the semifinals by 21-10 and 21-12. Julio, for his part, played the men’s doubles B2 with Antonio Jesús Rodríguez, from CB Bad-Flay, in what was their first participation together in a tournament. They managed to reach the quarterfinals, where they lost to Christophe Eugene and Antonio Mallado 16-21, 21-10 and 21-19, although they left good feelings for the next Spanish Championship, which they will play together in the men’s doubles.
Upcoming competitions
Xàtiva Badminton will travel this weekend to Villanueva de la Vera (Extremadura) to play the Spanish Championship of the Sub-17 category. Andrea Orquín and coach Javier Alcázar will participate for the Setabense club. The athlete from Setabense has achieved the classification in the women’s singles and women’s doubles modalities, along with her partner Sara Sáez, from CB Drop València. CB Xàtiva will also be present at the first regional Jocs Escolars day for children (Under-15), which is held this Saturday in Enguera, where the club will attend with 11 athletes.
