Portuguese teenager Tiago Abiodun secured his fifth career World Championships medal Friday, winning bronze in the men’s under-19 doubles at the Youth World Table Tennis Championships in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
The 17-year-old partnered with Romania’s Iulian Chirita. The pair reached the semifinals of the competition.
They were defeated 3-0 by the Japanese duo of Ryuusei Kawakami and Kazuki Yoshiyama. The Japanese players are reigning team world champions.
The set scores for the semifinal match were 11-4, 11-5, and 12-10.
This bronze medal is Abiodun’s latest achievement and marks Portugal’s 10th overall medal in World Table Tennis Championships history.
Abiodun, currently ranked 41st globally, also competed in the singles event at the championships. He reached the round of 16, effectively securing an eighth-place finish.
His singles campaign concluded with a loss to Spain’s Daniel Berzosa, who holds a world ranking of 24th. The match scores were 7-11, 13-11, 11-5, 11-5, 3-11, and 11-5.
Abiodun’s growing collection of World Championships medals includes a silver in U15 mixed doubles in 2022. He also earned a bronze in U19 men’s doubles earlier in 2024 in Helsingborg.
Additionally, Abiodun won bronze in U15 singles in 2023 and a bronze in U15 men’s teams in 2021 in Gaia.