JERSEY teenager Rory Le Masurier has returned from the Under-15 European Badminton Championships with two bronze medals after an outstanding campaign in Norway.
Just 14 years old, and studying at Victoria College, Le Masurier earned a place in England’s ten-strong squad after months of consistent performances on the English and European circuits.
The youngster was selected for mixed doubles and boys’ doubles, partnering Ava Dodkins of Staffordshire and Aarav Kotian of Kent respectively, after impressing at seeding tournaments across France, Hungary, Denmark and Belgium.
Those performances helped both pairs earn top seeding for the European Championships, bringing expectation as well as opportunity against some of the continent’s best young badminton talent.
Le Masurier and Dodkins rose to the challenge in the mixed doubles, beating France’s sixth seeds in the quarter-finals to reach the last four.
There, they faced Germany’s Matti Hintze and Ineke Block in a gripping semi-final that went right to the wire. After losing the opening game 27-25, the English pair fought back to take the second 21-14, only to suffer heartbreak in the decider, going down 23-21.
It was a painfully narrow defeat, but still secured Le Masurier his first European bronze medal.
There was another podium finish in the boys’ doubles alongside Kotian, with the pair showing their quality throughout the competition.
Their toughest test before the semi-finals came against Sweden in the quarter-finals, where they edged a tense opening game 27-25 before sealing victory 21-15.
However, a Danish pairing proved too strong in the last four, winning 21-15, 21-14 to leave Le Masurier and Kotian with a second bronze.
The teenager will have been hungry for more after coming so close to reaching both finals, particularly following the narrow mixed doubles defeat.
The success also contributed to what was described as England’s strongest Under-15 European Championships campaign for several years.
After a year spent working towards selection and competing against international opposition, Le Masurier has little time to dwell on the events in Norway.
The youngster, who has received support this year through the Jersey Sport Performance Sports Programme, returns to international competition at the Under-17 Swedish Youth Games in November, before taking on the English Under-17 Nationals later that month.
Two medals are already in the bag. For a 14-year-old from Jersey, the challenge now is to build on a breakthrough European campaign and see just how far his talent can take him.
