England were the big winners at the BWF World Senior Championships, capturing nine gold medals at the tournament in Ankara, Turkey last weekend, while Denmark reaped six golds.

Boasting the second-largest contingent of 94 competitors, England benefitted from strong results throughout the eight age categories (+35, +40, +45, +50, +55, +60 +65 and +70), winning at least one gold medal in six categories and an impressive three golds in the +60 grouping. Overall, England won 35 medals.

Among the +60 competitors, William Hamblett and Graham Holt claimed Men’s Doubles while Ann Hurst and Margo Jane Witty did likewise in Women’s Doubles – coincidentally versus another English pair (Betty Bartlett/Brenda Creasey). A determined Bartlett got her hands on gold in Mixed Doubles, partnered by Peter Emptage. The +65 Mixed Doubles final was another all-England battle, with Kenneth Tantum and Susan Awcock edging Michael John Cox and Pamela Firth (left; at presentation ceremony) in three tough games.

Meanwhile, another Englishwoman Debora Miller led the charge for St. George’s Cross in the +45 category, taking home two golds: Women’s Doubles with Betty Blair and Mixed Doubles with Mark Golds (beating team-mates Jon Austin and Vivienne Gillard) for the top spot on the podium. In the 70+ age range, Brenda Andrew and Beryl Goodall added to the tally with victory in Women’s Doubles.

The Danish representatives can also feel suitably satisfied with their performance, especially with three golds among the +50s: Martin Qvist Olesen took Men’s Singles; Lone Hagelskjaer Knudsen won Women’s Singles; and Olesen (centre below; second left) teamed up with Morten Christensen for glory in Men’s Doubles.

Gitte Sommer also earned a gold and silver in +40 Women’s Singles and Mixed Doubles respectively for the Danes.

At more than 70 years of age, a fit-looking Renate Gabriel of Germany (BWF home page; second left) was arguably the toast of the week-long event, winning Women’s Singles (beating compatriot Rita Gerst) and Mixed Doubles with Hans Schumacher. Germany and Japan both won five gold medals while Thailand got four and Scotland and Chinese Taipei, two each. Scotland’s haul was largely due to Dan Travers. He won the +55 Men’s Singles and then Mixed Doubles with Christine Black.

Canada, Ireland, Russia, South Africa and Sweden all won a single gold medal while Indonesia and the Philippines had the unique honour of sharing a gold medal with Indonesia’s Eddy Hartono (1992 Olympic Men’s Doubles silver medallist) partnering Rudy Wijaya of the Philippines to clinch the +40 Men’s Doubles competition (centre below). Indonesia also won gold in the +35 Men’s Doubles to finish with one-and-a-half gold medals.

The biennial BWF World Senior Championships was held at Ankara Spor Salonu Stadium and attracted 899 players from 40 countries, with India sending the most players – 132.

*****

BWF WORLD SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS 2013

Finals

Age: +35

MS 35 Vadim Itckov (RUS) beat Konstantin Myakishev (RUS) 18-21 21-12 21-6

WS 35 Claudia Vogelgsang (GER) beat Rebecca Pantaney (ENG) 19-21 21-18 21-15

MD 35 Harijanto Arbi/Tri Kusharjanto (INA) beat Lee Clapham/Nick Ponting (ENG) 21-16 21-11

WD 35 Rebecca Pantaney/Lynne Swan (ENG) beat Rita Yuan Gao/Claudia Vogelgsang (SCO/GER) 19-21 21-19 21-17

XD 35 Maurice Niesner/Claudia Vogelgsang (GER) beat Johan Clausen/Lina Lindholm (SWE) 21-13 21-14

Age: +40

MS 40 Henrik Groenfeldt-Soerensen (DEN) beat Stefan Edvardsson (SWE) 25-23 21-9

WS 40 Gitte Sommer (DEN) beat Csilla Gondane Forian (HUN) 21-10 21-17

MD 40 Eddy Hartono/Rudy Wijaya (INA/PHI) beat Stefan Edvardsson/Joacim Fellenius (SWE) 21-10 21-15

WD 40 Mie Hanyu/Akiko Ueda (JPN) beat Karina Bye/Louise Culyer (ENG) 21-16 19-21 21-19

XD 40 Nick Ponting/Julie Bradbury (ENG) beat Joacim Fellenius/Gitte Sommer (SWE/DEN) 21-19 21-16

Age: +45

MS 45 Bo Sorensen (DEN) beat Mayur Tawade (IND) 21-12 21-19

WS 45 Mei-Ying Feng (TPE) beat Betty Blair (ENG) 21-19 21-15

MD 45 Patrik Bjorkler/Jens Olsson (SWE) beat Hendry Sapurta Ho/Effendy Widjaya (INA) 21-16 21-14

WD 45 Betty Blair/Debora Miller (ENG) beat Mei-Ying Feng/Chia Yi Kang (TPE) 21-17 18-21 21-14

XD 45 Mark Golds/Debora Miller (ENG) beat Jon Austin/Vivienne Gillard (ENG) 21-14 21-17

Age: +50

MS 50 Martin Qvist Olesen (DEN) beat Wen-Sung Chang (TPE) 21-19 21-18

WS 50 Lone Hagelskjaer Knudsen (DEN) beat Jeannette Van Der Werff (NDL) 21-16 21-17

MD 50 Morten Christensen/Martin Qvist Olesen (DEN) beat Bobby Ertanto/Simbarsono Sutanto (INA) 21-19 21-18

WD 50 Pamela Peard/Sian Williams (IRE) beat Lone Hagelskjaer Knudsen/Mei-Ying Lee (DEN/TPE) 22-20 16-21 21-19

XD 50 Wen-Sung Chang/Mei-Ying Lee (TPE) beat Nattapol Sanlekanun/Juthatip Apiwatthanawong (THA) 21-18 21-16

Age: +55

MS 55 Dan Travers (SCO) beat Yuri Smirnov (RUS) 21-16 21-16

WS 55 Heidi Bender (GER) beat Christine Black (SCO) 21-16 21-8

MD 55 Trirong Limsakul/Attakorn Maensamut (THA) beat Jiamsak Panitchaikul/Surapong Suharitdumrong (THA) 21-16 15-21 21-17

WD 55 Kuniko Yamamoto/Hiroko Yuyama (JPN) beat Christine Black/Marjan Ridder (SCO/NDL) 21-15 21-15

XD 55 Dan Travers/Christine Black (SCO) beat Roger Taylor/Andrea Stretch (ENG) 21-19 21-10

Age: +60

MS 60 Johan Croukamp (RSA) beat Henry Paynter (CAN) 21-14 21-18

WS 60 Siew Har Hong (CAN) beat Betty Bartlett (ENG) 21-10 21-15

MD 60 William Hamblett/Graham Holt (ENG) beat Henrik Fahrenholz/  Jeppe Skov Jespen (DEN) 14-21 21-13 21-13

WD 60 Ann Hurst/Margo Jane Witty (ENG) beat Betty Bartlett/Brenda Creasey (ENG) 21-13 21-19

XD 60 Peter Emptage/Betty Bartlett (ENG) beat Christian Hansen/Gitte Attle Rasmussen (DEN) 21-14 21-13

Age: +65

MS 65 Chaisak Thongdejsri (THA) beat Carl-Johan Nybergh (FIN) 21-16 21-9

WS 65 Yuriko Okemoto (JPN) beat Liudmila Ukk (RUS) 21-9 17-21 21-6

MD 65 Seri Chintanaseri/Chaisak Thongdejsri (THA) beat Pramot Khaosamang/Apirat Siwapornpitak (THA) 21-8 21-15

WD 65 Yasuko Kataito/Satoko Nakamura (JPN) beat Sumiko Kaneko/Yuriko Okemoto (JPN) 21-17 21-14

XD 65 Kenneth Tantum/Susan Awcock (ENG) beat Michael John Cox/Pamela Firth (ENG) 15-21 21-16 21-17

Age: +70

MS 70 Seri Chintanaseri (THA) beat Koji Tanaka (JPN) 21-18 23-21

WS 70 Renate Gabriel (GER) beat Rita Gerst (GER) 21-13 21-9

MD 70 Yuji Shibazaki/Koji Tanaka (JPN) beat Michael Foy Coley/Harry Shadwick (ENG) 18-21 21-19 21-17

WD 70 Brenda Andrew/Beryl Goodall (ENG) beat Rita Gerst/Christel Klaar (GER) 21-16 21-10

XD 70 Hans Schumacher/Renate Gabriel (GER) beat Harry Shadwick/Brenda Andrew (ENG) 21-15 21-17

*****

For details on all the medallists at the BWF World Senior Championships 2013, please click here.

View photos of the BWF World Senior Championships 2013.

Text by Gayle Alleyne | BWF