European bronze for TUD Badminton team

STUDENTS from TU Dublin Tallaght campus were fundamental in helping the badminton team achieve a bronze medal at the European University Championships in Hungary.

Taking place in Miskolc between July 14 and 19, the tournament was taken by storm by an eight-strong team representing TU Dublin.

Caoimhe McKeon, Leah Auld, David Walsh and recent graduate Kate Frost were selected from the Tallaght campus to represent the college abroad.

Getting underway on Friday (July 14), TU Dublin was pitted in a strong group with last year’s champions, The University of Strasbourg (France), and Nova University of Lisbon (Portugal) – requiring a win in both matches to secure a medal.

First up, TU Dublin took on The Nova University of Portugal in what was a closely contested match that could have gone either way.

The Portuguese college took a 1-0 lead after winning the mixed doubles, with Sean Laureta from TUD city campus stepping up to level the score, winning his men’s singles match 21-11, 21-17.

Irish international Kate Frost, who is from Templeogue, was very composed in her women’s singles, winning 21-9, 21-6 which gave TUD a 2-1 lead.

The Men were up first in what was a riveting match but equally nervous for both sets of teams watching as neither TUD or Nova took control of the match.

The game went right to the wire with the TUD boys, Jonathan Dolan and Conor Bradley getting us over the line in the decider 21-19 to give TUD a 3-1 lead and secure our first victory of the group.

The women’s doubles was an equally close game, which the Portuguese took in 3 close sets. Further wins in the Men’s and Women’s Doubles put TU Dublin in prime position to advance, especially after Nova University were defeated by the University of Strasbourg in the follow up match.

Feeling an upset was on the cards, TUD came out all guns blazing in the next round against their French counterparts and started on a high, winning the Men’s doubles.

Frost then took to the singles court against Maria Stoliarenko, with the Templeogue woman battling hard to try get the point for her team but unfortunately she was undone by her Ukrainian opponent and eventual Women’s singles champion of the individual tournament.

However, a win from Walsh in the men’s singles and a loss in the women’s doubles tied the scoring at 2-2 heading into the final game, mixed doubles.

Frost was paired with Jonathan Dolan, who studies in TUD Blanchardstown, for the mixed doubles and they won the match 21-17, 21- 18 to secure a third vital point and a second ever European bronze medal for TUD.

In the semi-final, TUD were defeated by tournament favourites and eventual winners, University of Nottingham – meaning they had to settle for an emphatic bronze medal despite a valiant run of games.

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