Irish Para-Badminton: Who Took the Trophy Home?

The FZ Forza Irish Para-Badminton International 2018 surmised yesterday in Dublin. For Indonesia, the entire tournament proved to be worthwhile. The Indonesian athlete Leani Ratri Oktila scored herself among the most eminent athletes of the tournaments. She ruled the court by winning a trio of gold medals. Her countryfolks Ukun Rukaendi and Hary Susanto also brought two gold medals. Lee Sam Seop and lee Sun Ae, the Korean athletes and Rebecca Bedford and Jack Shephard from England also won gold medals.

From the beginning, Oktila’s performance was noteworthy as she and her partner, Hary Susanto, defeated their countryfolks, Fredy Setiawan and Khalimatus Sadiyah Sukohandoko in the Mixed Doubles by 21-5, 21-15, to get through finals of SL 3-SL 5.

In the SL 4 Women’s Singles final, Oktila grappled with Helle Sofie Sagoy of Norway, who whipped out Germany’s Katrin Seibert in the semi-finals. Oktila carried forward her astounding performance and foiled Sagoy, 21-8, 21-10.

In the SL 3-SU 5 Women’s Doubles final match, Oktila played with Sagoy and Seibert, where the Indonesian squad overthrew their rivals, 21-16, 21-9. With this victory, Oktila pulled her third gold medal. 

The top-seeded athlete, Ukun Rukaendi fouled up his compatriot Dwiyoko in SL 3 Men’s Singles, 21-9, 21-12. In the partnership with Hary Susanto, Ukun subsequently won his second gold by triumphing over compatriots Maman Nurhaman and Hikmat Ramdani 21-14, 21-16.

In the wheelchair category, doubles gold medal was taken home by Lee Sam Seop and Lee Sun Ae from Korea. The Mixed Doubles partners (WH1 WH2) begin their day as they humbled the pair of Jeong Jae Gun from Korea and Pilar Jaurequi Cancino of Peru by 21-14 21-14.

In the WH1 Men’s Singles, Lee Sam Seop was whipped out by his compatriot Jeong Jae Gun by 21-5 21-7. However, in the WH1 – WH2 Men’s Doubles final, Seop along with the partner Kim Kyung Hoon, grabbed his second gold medal by overcoming the duo of Martin Rooke from England and Germany’s Thomas Wandschneidaer.

In th2 WH2 Women’s Singles final, Lee Sun Ae defeated Cancino by 21-12 21-8 and won her second gold medal.

In the Short Stature SS 6 categories, the duo from England, Rebecca Bedford and Jack Shephard, both grabbed two gold medals.

The title of SS6 Mixed Doubles was conquered by Bedford and Robert Laing as they overplayed England’s Isaak Dalglish and Poland’s Oliwia Szmigiel. Subsequently, the Women’s Singles was won by Bedford after combating Carmen Giuliana Poveda Flores of Peru by 21-9 12-21 21-10.

Jack Shephard, SS 6 Min’s Singles World champion, hold back his title as he outclassed his compatriot Krysten Coombs in the final, 13-21 21-19 21-13. 

Later, the pair of Shephard and Coombs together won the SS 6 Men’s Doubles by winning over Chu Man Kai and Wong Chun Yim of Hongkong by 21-17 21-11.