The city of Istanbul, Turkey, recently hosted the 12th European Para Badminton Championships. Portugal sent just three athletes to this major event. Despite their small numbers, the team made a huge splash, bringing home an impressive total of five medals. This strong showing put Portugal firmly on the map in European para-badminton.
Beatriz Monteiro was a standout performer for the Portuguese team. On the final day of competition, she fought hard for a silver medal in the SU5 singles category. She faced France’s Maud Lefort in a tough final match, ultimately losing 2-0 with scores of 21-13 and 15-21. This wasn’t her only success, though. Earlier in the tournament, Beatriz also earned a bronze medal in the SL3-SU5 women’s doubles event, playing alongside Sweden’s Hillevi Salomonsson.
Another athlete making waves was Diogo Daniel, who also secured two medals. He paired with Mathieu Thomas from France to clinch a silver medal in the SL3-SL4 doubles final. They put up a good fight but fell 2-0 to the strong duo of Oleksandr Chyrkov from Ukraine and Dilan Jacobsson from Sweden, with scores of 21-9 and 21-13. Before that doubles achievement, Diogo had already earned a bronze medal in the S4 singles competition.
Rounding out Portugal’s medal haul was Gonçalo Batista. He teamed up with Scotland’s Andrew Davies to secure a bronze medal in the S6 doubles category. Their combined efforts showcased the depth of talent within the small Portuguese contingent. Each medal represented hard work and dedication, proving that a small team can achieve great things on the international stage.