Bob
Bell, former Cornwall County and current England Senior badminton player,
returned from the recent BWF World Senior Championships held in Helsingborg,
Sweden, as World Champion, along with partner Roy Lord of Essex, in the 65+
doubles event.
The
championships attracted over 1300 competitors from 48 countries with strong
teams from across the globe particularly Denmark, Japan, Thailand, India,
Indonesia and Germany, although players also represented countries such as Peru
and South Africa.
Bob
and Roy defeated Indian pairing Vidya Arora and Sustril Patet in the final
21-18, 21-8 but faced a sterner test in the semi-finals, beating Per Dabelsteen
and Steen Kioerbo from Denmark.
The
event is biennial and players have to be selected and nominated by their
country. Qualification in England is
gained by competing in Masters tournaments staged throughout the year for
players 35+.
Bob,
from Callington, said “the event was
fantastic and the facilities 1st class. The tournament was staged on 14 show courts but 21 practice
courts were also available. It was
great to see so many former World and Olympic champions still competing and
enjoying the game at such a high level.
I thought that winning Gold in the Europeans three years ago was to be
the highlight of my long career but this result tops the lot”.
Bob
also claimed a Silver Medal in the 65+ Mixed Doubles event with partner Penny
Shears from Avon.
The
next World Seniors Badminton Championships is to be held in Kochi, India in
2017.
