HOYER-LARSEN AND RASMUSSEN INTO EURO FINALS

April 19,1996 (D.Shuttlenws) - Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen improved his chances
for a record-tying third European men's singles championship when he beat
Jesper Olsson of Sweden in the semifinals of the European badminton
championships in Herning, Denmark earlier today.

Hoyer-Larsen, who had two surprising losses earlier in the championships
during the team event, did not experience any problems with the Swede and
disposed of Olsson 15-7 15-3 in a quickly-played semifinal.

Hoyer-Larsen was off-form at the start of the championships but his play
improved steadily as the week progressed.

Hoyer-Larsen said that he had taken time off from training after winning
the All-England in mid-March and that he was only 80 percent fit at the
start of the team competition. He also said that the two-matches-a-day
schedule of the early rounds in the individual competition helped him
regain some of his lost form.

Hoyer-Larsen will face fellow Dane and training partner Peter Rasmussen
in the final.

Rasmussen, the second seed behind Hoyer-Larsen, booked his place in the
men's single final with a 15-9 18-13 victory over Jeroen van Dijk of the
Netherlands.

Should Hoyer-Larsen prevail over Rasmussen in the finals, he will tie
the mark set by his compatriot Flemming Delfs who won his third European
men's singles title in 1980.

In women's singles, top-seeded Dane Camilla Martin continued on her
way to the European championship with an easy 11-6 11-4 win over
3/4-seed Christine Magnusson of Sweden.

Martin will face Marina Yakusheva of Russia in the finals.

Yakusheva, the first Russian player to reach the singles finals of the
European championships, beat Mette Pedersen of Denmark 11-6 11-9 in her
half of the semifinals.

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