UAE badminton players shine at Spanish International U-19 Championship
Alicante: In a sensational display of rising talent and determination, the UAE Junior Badminton Team etched their name in history by securing gold and silver medals in both men's and women's Singles at the Spanish International U19 Championship, which concluded in Alicante.
This remarkable feat propelled the UAE to the top of the overall medal tally, ahead of badminton powerhouses such as Germany, Thailand, and Denmark.
In the Boys' Singles U19, Riyan Malhan, who just turned 15, clinched gold after a series of stunning victories over higher-ranked and older opponents.
His compatriot, Adam Jeslin, who is yet to turn 15, showcased equal resilience and skill to earn the Silver, making it a clean sweep for the UAE.
In the women's singles U-19, the top honors went to Prakriti Bharath, who lived up to her second seeding with an emphatic, undefeated run. She overcame her teammate Mysha Omer in the finals, who fought valiantly to bring home the silver.
Adding to the medal count, the new pairing of Jeslin and Omer brought home a well-earned bronze in the mixed doubles category.
The duo stunned the second-seeded German pair in an early round, before bowing out in the semi-finals to the eventual champions from Thailand.
They secured two gold medals in the singles events, with Malhan triumphing in the boys' singles and Prakriti claiming the top spot in the girls' singles.
Adding to the tally were two silver medals: Jeslin finished as runner-up in the boys' singles, while Omer earned silver in the girls' singles.
The duo of Jeslin and Omer also combined to win a bronze medal in the mixed doubles event, rounding off a successful showing for the team.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
2 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Tuchel runs into early problems as Senegal stun faltering England
Hired amid skepticism because of his nationality, German coach Thomas Tuchel was brought in as England manager to get the national team from soccer's birthplace 'over the line' at a World Cup for the first time since 1966. One year out from the 2026 tournament in North America and Tuchel has already run into problems - and is feeling the wrath of England's fans, too. The 3-1 loss to Senegal at home in a friendly match on Tuesday brought a crashing end to Tuchel's honeymoon period that was already tottering after England could only eke out a feeble 1-0 win over 173rd-ranked Andorra four days earlier. Boos rang out as Tuchel and England's players left the field at the City Ground in Nottingham after losing to an African nation for the first time. Tuchel has coached some of the world's biggest clubs in Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Chelsea and was regarded, tactically, as a big step-up from predecessor Gareth Southgate. For many, Southgate lacked that magic touch to turn England into title-winners despite its deep runs at the past four major tournaments. These are early days - Tuchel only started the job in January - but England might even have regressed in its latest era under a foreign coach. Here's a look at the teething problems being encountered in Tuchel's tenure: While Southgate no doubt generated a great culture and atmosphere in the squad off the field, he was accused of being too pragmatic and lacking flexibility in his tactics on it. Tuchel was expected to be a huge upgrade in that respect but England doesn't yet have an identity under the German. England captain Harry Kane listed the ingredients his team were missing against Senegal - and there were plenty. 'With and without the ball, we aren't quite clicking,' said Kane, who opened the scoring. 'We aren't finding the right passes, the right tempo. In the one-vs.-ones, we're losing duels and that aggressive nature we've had. 'There are some ideas that are new and we have some new players coming into the team who haven't got experience at international level. It's a mixture of things.' Tuchel only has four more camps to get his ideas across ahead of the World Cup, should England qualify of course. The team won its opening three World Cup qualifiers - against Albania, Latvia and Andorra - and tops Group K with five matches to play from September to November. Some of Tuchel's early-tenure selections have raised eyebrows. He has brought former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, age 34 and most recently playing at Ajax, back into the squad because of his leadership qualities and to 'take care of all the standards in the group,' Tuchel said. But is Henderson good enough to still be in the team? He has persisted with right back Kyle Walker, who is aged 35, seemingly passed his best and most recently sent on loan to AC Milan where he has struggled to impress. Tuchel has the likes of Reece James and new Real Madrid player Trent Alexander-Arnold as alternatives but is preferring Walker, again talking about how the veteran is 'pushing the standards' in the camp. Some of his picks at center back - newcomers Trevoh Chalobah and Dan Burn among them - have also been scrutinized. While Southgate always shielded his players from criticism, Tuchel is more open and blunt with any negative analysis. Indeed, after the Andorra game where England toiled, Tuchel accused his players of lacking 'the seriousness and the urgency that is needed in a World Cup qualifier' and said he didn't like their attitude and body language. To many, it was fair comment but something England's players maybe hadn't been used to hearing from their coach. Will they take it the wrong way - and prefer Southgate's arm-round-the-shoulder approach? In defense of Tuchel, England's players were coming off long club seasons and might have switched off mentally before linking up with England for the Andorra and Senegal games. Tuchel also made 10 changes against Senegal and was clearly testing out some new players and tactical approaches. 'There is no need to panic,' he said 'We know more now. We are smarter ... I hate losses like nothing else but we don't go next week to the World Cup, we go in one year.' Agencies
Al Etihad
2 days ago
- Al Etihad
E1H trains startups for leg up in sports ecosystem
11 June 2025 00:18 KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)The management company that organises some of the region's biggest sporting events such as the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, UFC and the NBA games has completed their first cohort of grooming sports-focused the UAE's first dedicated sports ecosystem and incubator, the Ethara 1TW Innovation Hub (E1H) was established to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship in the UAE and the wider region by providing startups with access to expertise, commerce and the end of a six-week programme, in which eight early-stage ventures received strategic guidance, a Pitch event was held at the Yas Marina Circuit's Conference Centre to provide funding avenues to support and fast-track their eight ventures were an eclectic mix, yet, targeting multi-faceted instance, ParkBuddy is trying to address everyone's pet peeve during major events – finding a parking spot. A couple of initiatives, such as a website ArabsMMA and a podcast-newsletter Mettleset, are trying to spread the word about their niche areas through the communications is a sustainability drive involving recycling waste which is being spearheaded by Green Light are use-cases of artificial intelligence, data and robotics being utilised from organisation to operations either for employee engagement or smoothening workflows in logistical services with companies such as Athlyn, Neoma and Icosium then there is eSportian, which is looking at the future of education and the rising scene of e-sports in the region.'E-Sports is big here and in the MENA region,' said Ivan Kerkoc, the founder and a professor at a Spanish university in Barcelona. 'Yet, when it comes to academics and accompanying scholarships, the choices are limited. There are those who are good at e-sports but need support in their education in countries where e-sports have recognition and established affordable education."And there are some who excel in both areas and would like to come here for playing and job opportunities in gaming companies.'ParkBuddy is focusing only on events in Dubai for now, but the expansion plans are on the anvil. The startup promises dynamic and flexible parking solutions; advanced planning will go a long way to ensuring a smooth experience for motorists.'We work with organisers and authorities such as police at times to have multiple options for every type of situation, however dynamic they may be,' said Daniel Hachem, the founder of mobile app-based solution not only directs consumers to available parking spots and reduces long walks, it can reserve a parking spot for a small only one in the group to get a brand sponsor attached is the pioneering media platform focusing on women in MENA sports, The Mettleset. Led by Dawn Barnable, a Canadian endurance athlete, her upcoming website is trying to bridge the gap between athletes, their stories and sports content where the sportswear company New Balance has already come on board.'Innovation is at the heart of everything we do at Ethara,' said Saif Rashid Al Noaimi, the CEO of Ethara in his address. 'That's why we created E1H with our partners at OneToWatch (1TW). We want to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to build new ventures that add value not just to Ethara but to Abu Dhabi's global vision for sport and entertainment.' E1H Cohort 1 startups ArabsMMA – Zahi EphremA marketer and martial artist, Zahi founded ArabsMMA, the first media platform dedicated to combat sports in the Middle – Ahmed OmarWith 15-plus years' experience in the UAE sports and corporate sectors, Omar's platform bridges sport and corporate – Ivan KerkocA Spanish university professor and former NCAA recruiter, Kerkoc founded Esportian to merge traditional sports and esports Technologies – Billel Boudouma and Mohamed AliThis venture blends robotics, artificial intelligence and human experience to deliver real-world micro-automation – Daniel HachemDaniel aims to revolutionise urban mobility through smart parking solutions, drawing on his engineering and entrepreneurial – Francois ChabaudieWith a background in private equity and consulting, Chabaudie created Neoma to improve human interaction through smart Mettleset – Dawn BarnableA seasoned communicator and endurance athlete, Dawn founded The Mettleset to tell meaningful stories through the lens of Light Events – Robert Angelieri An event operations expert, Robert drives innovation in sustainable events through branding, logistics and venue strategy. Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi
Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Gulf Today
UAE badminton players shine at Spanish International U-19 Championship
Alicante: In a sensational display of rising talent and determination, the UAE Junior Badminton Team etched their name in history by securing gold and silver medals in both men's and women's Singles at the Spanish International U19 Championship, which concluded in Alicante. This remarkable feat propelled the UAE to the top of the overall medal tally, ahead of badminton powerhouses such as Germany, Thailand, and Denmark. In the Boys' Singles U19, Riyan Malhan, who just turned 15, clinched gold after a series of stunning victories over higher-ranked and older opponents. His compatriot, Adam Jeslin, who is yet to turn 15, showcased equal resilience and skill to earn the Silver, making it a clean sweep for the UAE. In the women's singles U-19, the top honors went to Prakriti Bharath, who lived up to her second seeding with an emphatic, undefeated run. She overcame her teammate Mysha Omer in the finals, who fought valiantly to bring home the silver. Adding to the medal count, the new pairing of Jeslin and Omer brought home a well-earned bronze in the mixed doubles category. The duo stunned the second-seeded German pair in an early round, before bowing out in the semi-finals to the eventual champions from Thailand. They secured two gold medals in the singles events, with Malhan triumphing in the boys' singles and Prakriti claiming the top spot in the girls' singles. Adding to the tally were two silver medals: Jeslin finished as runner-up in the boys' singles, while Omer earned silver in the girls' singles. The duo of Jeslin and Omer also combined to win a bronze medal in the mixed doubles event, rounding off a successful showing for the team.
