Portuguese table tennis player Tiago Abiodun has secured a medal at the World Youth Championships, with his mixed European doubles team becoming the only non-Asian pair to reach the U19 men’s doubles semifinals.
Abiodun and his Romanian partner, Iulian Chirita, advanced to the medal rounds on Wednesday, marking a significant achievement in a sport frequently dominated by Asian nations. This medal is Portugal’s 10th overall at World Championships, and Abiodun’s fifth personal medal.
The duo, seeded fifth, will face Japan’s Ryuusei Kawakamia and Kazuki Yoshiyama, the fourth seeds, in the semifinals. The other semifinal match features two all-Asian teams: Wen Ruibo and Li Hechen of China against Kuo Guan-Hong and Hsu Hsien-Chia from Chinese Taipei.
To reach the semifinals, Abiodun and Chirita first overcame Kazakhstan’s Alan Kurmangaliyev and Iran’s Benyamin Faraji in the Round of 16. They won in straight sets: 11-5, 13-11, 12-10.
In the quarterfinals, the Portuguese-Romanian pair defeated the second-seeded Indian duo of Abhinandh Pradhivadhi and Ankur Bhattacharjee. They secured their semifinal spot with scores of 11-2, 11-6, 12-10.
The competition is taking place in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Abiodun is also set to compete in the singles event, beginning Thursday. He is ranked 41st globally in singles and will face Kuo Guan-Hong, the seventh-ranked player.
His previous World Championship medals include a silver in U15 mixed doubles and four bronzes, one of which was in U19 men’s doubles last year.