The Paralympic champion has secured two titles, one of these with Faustine Noel. Helle Sofie Sagoy and Daniel Bethell have also won golds in the second BWF Para tournament of the year.
The two weeks of top-level Para badminton in Spain have now come to an end. After the BWF Para Badminton International Level 2 tournament last week in Vitoria, northern Spain, players travelled down to Toledo for a Level 1 competition that took place from 1 until 5 March.
The best possible start
For Olympic champion Lucas Mazur, this was the first international tournament of the year, not having participated in last week’s Spanish Para Badminton International. Yesterday’s SL 3 men’s singles final was a rematch of the 2022 World Championships fight for the title and it had the same end result. Indonesia’s Fredy Setiawan really pushed in the first game, but the French player still got to secure the win in straight games, 24-22 21-12.
Mazur also had a successful run in the SL 3 - SU 5 mixed doubles with Faustine Noel. It was an all-French final, with Mazur and Noel taking on Meril Loquette/ Coraline Bergeron. The Paralympic silver medallists won the title with a two-game win, 21-17 21-14.
“I’m super happy with these results which make for a great start to this qualifying period for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games,” said Noel on her Instagram. “I was not necessarily confident about my game when starting this tournament, but I managed to free myself and be sharp on my shots, placements, and attacks as matches progressed. This is only the beginning. We will have to stay focused and continue at this pace because the next events will happen very quickly.”
Two golds in two weeks for Bethell
Daniel Bethell could not have asked for a better start to the 2024 Paralympic Games qualification period. Just like last week, the British player faced Paralympic champion Pramod Bhagat, India, in the SL 3 men’s singles final, winning 21-6 21-18.
“I’m delighted to be leaving the Spanish doubleheader with double gold. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the Paris 2024 qualification,” said Bethell on her Instagram.
Gold for Sagøy
After exiting the Spanish Para Badminton International in the semifinals last week, Helle Sofie Sagøy had to face the same opponent that contested her for the 2022 World Champion title. The SL 4 World Champion won against Japan’s Fujino Haruka again to win her first title of the year.
Also playing in yesterday’s finals, some Europeans could not take the title but earned important points in the Paralympic qualification period with silver medals. Belgium’s Man-Kei To in WH 1 women’s singles, Portugal’s Beatriz Monteiro and France’s Catherine Naudin in SL 3 - SU 5 women’s doubles, and France’s Charles Noakes in SH 6 men’s singles have all finished as runner-ups.
To see all the results from the Spanish Para Badminton International Toledo 2023,
click here.
Next up in the international Para badminton calendar is the Brazil Para Badminton International 2023, a BWF Para Badminton International Level 2 tournament that will be held in Sao Paulo, from 10 to 16 April.