2017 Para-badminton National Championships

Events

2017 Para-badminton National Championships

Full recap of the 2nd Annual Para-badminton National Championships

 

Badminton Canada was pleased to welcome over 20 athletes from across the country to the 2nd annual Para-badminton National Championships, held at the Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club from September 13th to 16th 2017.

The week began with a 3-day (6 sessions) ‘Discover Para-badminton’ event in collaboration with Badminton BC and the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The event set out to help develop and support our Para-badminton program by providing practical technical and tactical workshops for athletes and coaches who are interested improving their skills and knowledge of the sport. Lead by professional and award-winning para-badminton coach, Lyndon Williams from Edinburgh, Scotland, over 20 athletes and 8 coaches were able to work closely with him and learn from his experiences.

“The ‘Discover Para-badminton’ workshop in partnership with the BWF was a great success for both our para-badminton athletes and coaches” said High-Performance Manager, Jordan Bridal. “These workshops do a lot to enhance our Para-badminton programs in Canada, and we hope to provide more events like these in the near future.”

The 2017 Para-badminton National Championships began on Thursday September 13th, with 6 events taking place in 4 classifications (WH1, WH2, SS6, SL4).

In the WH1 Men’s Singles event, Luke Millar and Richard Peter were able to win their respective groups (4 – 0) in order to obtain the top seeds in the elimination draw. Unfortunately, Luke Millar was unable to continue his undefeated streak after losing a tough match against Misha Bilenky (6-21, 14-21) in the Semi-Finals. However, on the bottom half of the draw, Richard Peter was able to capture another win, defeating Roberto Molina (21-11, 21-7) to earn a trip to the Championship Final. After a tough match, Richard Peter was able to finish the weekend without losing a game, and claiming the WH1 Men’s National title over Misha Bilenky (21-17, 21-16).

On the WH1 Women’s side, a round robin of 5 athletes was played to determine our 2017 Para-badminton National Champion. Placing third was Marni Abbott-Peter, finishing the weekend with an even score of 2 wins and 2 losses, and earning her the bronze medal. Finishing in second place was Kristen Sharp, who only conceded 2 games all weekend, and finished the tournament with 3 wins and only 1 loss. Finally, Yuka Chokyu, who remained undefeated throughout the week, and only conceded a total of 29 points through 4 matches, claimed the WH1 Women’s Singles National title with a point differential of (+139).

In the WH2 Men’s Singles category, two athletes faced-off in the final to try to become National Champions. Ultimately, it was Ryan Clarkson that claimed the gold medal, winning by a score of (21-13, 21-10) over Jon Burton.

In the SS6 event, 3 young men set out to capture gold. After a round robin, Wyatt Lightfoot entered the elimination draw undefeated, beating a talented Justin Kendrick and Aaron Keith who both finished the round robin with a score of (1 – 3). However, it would be Aaron Keith who would go on to play Wyatt in the Championship final. After a week of competition, Wyatt Lightfoot that was crowned National Champion after winning a close match against Aaron Keith in the final (21-14, 19-21, 21-10).

Thanks to the number of WH1/WH2 athletes competing in this year’s championships, Badminton Canada was able to host the first ever WH1/WH2 Mixed Doubles event. With 5 entries, a round robin style draw was played to determine our National Champions. Finishing in third place, with and even score of 2 wins and 2 losses was Luke Millar and Brandy Stiles. Capturing the silver medal was Richard Peter and Marni Abbott Peter, losing only one match to the Championship winning team. Finishing the tournament undefeated was Misha Bilenky and Yuka Chokyu, conceding only 60 points as a pair through 4 matches, and earning them the title of WH1/WH2 Mixed Doubles National Champions.

Badminton Canada and its partners are excited to see the development of para-badminton programs in Canada. With para-badminton being added to the Paralympic Games in 2020, hosting strong national para-badminton events are crucial step to the development of our Canadian athletes.

“Hosting the Para National Badminton Championships was an wonderful experience” said National Para-badminton Team Head Coach, Ram Nayyar, “so many of our members at the VLTBC commented on the athleticism and camaraderie the competitors displayed throughout the week, and I am thrilled with some of the talent emerging here in Canada.”

As Badminton Canada continues to develop their Para-badminton program, they would like to thank all the volunteers, tournament organizers, officials, Badminton BC, and the Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club for hosting an outstanding Para-badminton National Championships. Special thanks to Black Knight for sponsoring the event, and supporting our Para-badminton National Team athletes.
 

2017 Para-badminton National Championship Results

 

WH1 Men

  1. Richard Peter
  2. Misha Bilenky
  3. Luke Millar + Roberto Molina
     

 

 

WH1 Women

  1. Yuka Chokyu
  2. Kristen Sharp
  3. Marni Abbott-Peter
  4. Brandy Stiles
     

 

WH2 Men

  1. Ryan Clarkson
  2. Jon Burton
     

 

SS6 Men

  1. Wyatt Lightfoot
  2. Aaron Keith
  3. Justin Kendrick
     

 

SL4/SU5 Men

  1. Pascale Lapointe
  2. Rishav Sharma
     

 

WH1/WH2 Men’s Doubles

  1. Misha Bilenky + Luke Millar
  2. Roberto Molina + Richard Peter
     

 

WH1/WH2 Women’s Doubles

  1. Yuka Chokyu + Brandy Stiles
  2. Marni Abbott-Peter + Kristen Sharp
     

 

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