Finals day in Kiev saw Lauren Smith take on the remarkable feat of competing on two fronts, as English pairs celebrate medal success at 2021 European Championships.
First on court, Marcus Ellis and Lauren Smith (1) had their sights set on gold, but came up against a stern test against Russia’s Amilov/Davletova (6). Our English duo fought hard after a strong start, before narrowly losing out on the top spot. The match ended 21-11 16-21 15-21.
But Lauren Smith wasn’t done! The women’s doubles final saw her back in action with her partner, Chloe Birch. Seeded 2nd, our girls faced stiff competition in the No.1 seeds from Bulgaria of Stoeva/Stoeva (1). It was a closely fought affair, with our pair battling for every point in a particularly close second game. Despite all their unwavering efforts, the number one seeds eventually came out on top 21-14 21-19.
We also took home a bronze medal courtesy of Ellis and Chris Langridge in the men’s doubles event.
They missed out to Russian third seeds, Vladimir Ivanov and Ivan Sozonov, 21-15, 21-10.
Our English pairs come home with two silver and one bronze medal. An unbelievable achievement to be incredibly proud of.
Full list of results:
XD – Ellis/Smith (1) vs Amilov/Davletova (6): 21-11 16-21 15-21
WD – Birch/Smith (2) vs Stoeva/Stoeva (1): 14-21 19-21
Visit the Badminton Europe website for information on the 2021 European Championships.
