Joakim Oldorff, 21, made history as the second Finn to win an adult EC medal. The fierce Dane, Anders Antonsen, will meet in the semi-final.
Mika Halonen,
Janne Karinkanta
21-year-old Finnish ace Joakim Oldorff creates a sensation in the Badminton European Championships.
The three-time Finnish champion already advanced to the semi-finals of the European Championships in Saarbrücken, Germany. At the same time, he sealed himself with at least a bronze medal from the tournament, as bronze medals are awarded to the losers of the semifinals.
Oldorff admits on the phone to Urheilu that we can talk about dreams coming true.
– When I was younger, I dreamed of a prestigious competition medal, and it’s great that you reach your goals and that your dreams come true.
– But this also gives additional motivation. The race is still under way. Of course, I want the color of the medal to be as bright as possible.
Oldorff’s medal is Finland’s second adult individual EC medal in badminton history. Kalle Koljonen achieved the bronze medal at the 2021 European Championships.
Finland also has a bronze medal from the 2014 European Championship team competition.
A great value competition debut
Oldorff is only playing his first prestigious championships at the adult level and is ranked 68th in the world.
On Thursday, Oldorff advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Belgium Julian Carraggi directly in two sets 21–9, 21–10. Carraggi is ranked 42nd in the world rankings. He was ranked eighth in the EC tournament.
In Friday’s quarterfinals, Oldorff faced France by Alex Lanierranked 48th in the world ranking. Oldorff pressed for victory 21–12, 21–19.
– It was a good game from me. Lanier is tough opposition, we’ve played against each other before. Throughout the match, I stayed well with my tactics, which was the coach’s Anu Nieminen polished with That was the deciding factor.
Oldorff does not disclose his tactics.
– It’s a secret.
Anu Nieminen represented Finland at the Olympics no less than four times. Oldorff praises the duo’s cooperation.
– Anu is really good at creating tactics. We have been doing long-term work for many years. This is the result of that.
A semi-final win would be a feat
In Saturday’s semifinal, Oldorff will face the tournament’s second seed, Anders Antonsen. The Dane is ranked fourth in the world, a three-time World Cup medalist and European champion three years ago.
Among the Europeans, the 26-year-old Antonsen is ranked ahead of only another Dane, an Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen.
Oldorff says that there is definitely a good feeling now, but there is enough hunger for the semi-finals.
– Of course I’m going to win. Antonsen is a player that I admired when I was younger and thought that I could play at that level someday. Now I’m at that level, it’s great.
– Antonsen is definitely the early favorite. I’ve played really well so far, so if I continue in the same way, anything is possible.
Even before the Games, Oldorff believed in the possibility of a medal. In the European Championships, the way Oldorff has been able to focus on the essentials, to be present in the games and in his tactics, has hit the spot.
– You can’t say that this success came as a surprise. After all, I haven’t done anything in the games that I didn’t know or could do. But it’s also a fact that this is definitely the best performance of my career so far.
Finland has secured an Olympic berth in badminton. It means that Finland has always been represented by at least one player during the sport’s 32-year Olympic run.
It is generally believed that Kalle Koljonen, who also played in the Tokyo Games, will represent Finland at the Olympics. Oldorff, now in the middle of the European Championships, did not know what his own Olympic chances were.
Koljonen lost in the third round of the European Championships to world number one Viktor Axelsen 14–21, 9–21.