DENMARK SWEEPS EURO CHAMPIONSHIPS

April 20, 1996 (D.Shuttlenws) -  Danish badminton celebrated a first
today at the European badminton championships in Herning, Denmark when
the Danish players took all of the four gold medals at stake today.

Coupled with the team event gold medal the Danes won on Monday and the
mixed doubles gold taken by Michael Sogaard and Rikke Olsen last night,
Danish players scored an unprecedented sweep of all the European badminton
titles.

Denmark actually came into today's four finals with three sure golds as
the men's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles were all-Denmark
affairs.

The women's singles final was the only match that featured a non-Dane,
Marina Yakusheva of Russia.

Yakusheva was up against Dane Camilla Martin, the tournament top-seed who
had been toying with her opponents the whole week and who had been critical
of the poor quality of European women's singles.

Martin added proof to her criticism as she disposed of her finals opponent
in less than 15 minutes, blanking Yakusheva in the first and then allowing
the Russian only 3 points in the second. Martin's victory at 11-0 11-3
ensured the Danish title sweep.

In the men's singles final, Poul-Erik Hoyer-Larsen defeated his training
partner, Peter Rasmussen, 15-5 15-11.

Hoyer-Larsen had an easy first game win. Rasmussen came back strong
in the second and was leading 11-10, when a series of unforced errors
by the aggressive Rasmussen handed Hoyer-Larsen the lead and then the
game at 15-11.

Hoyer-Larsen's victory gave him his third European men's singles title and
tied him with the nearly-legendary Dane Flemming Delfs who also won three
European crowns, the last coming in 1980.

In the women's doubles finals, Lisbet Stuer-Lauridsen and Marlene Thomsen
are reported to have prevailed over Rikke Olsen and Helene Kirkegaard 6-15
15-12 15-10 in a lengthy and exciting matchup. (Editor's note: There is a
conflicting report from another source that Rikke Olsen and Helene Kirke-
gaard were the winners 6-15 15-12 15-10).

The men's doubles title went to Jon Holst-Christensen and Thomas Lund,
victors over compatriots Michael Sogaard and Henrik Svarrer in another
very tightly contested duel.

The top-seeded Holst-Christensen and Lund lost the first game to Sogaard
and Svarrer 10-15 and then came back to win the second 15-12.

In an exciting third game, Holst-Christensen and Lund were on the ropes
as Sogaard and Svarrer served at match point.  The top seeds were able to
break Sogaard and Svarrer and get the service back.

Holst-Christensen and Lund then went on to win the third game by the
thinnest of margins 18-17.


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