The European Youth Championships in Gondomar concluded with France producing one of the most dominant performances in the history of the competition. With seven of the 14 titles on offer, the French delegation matched the achievement of Russia in 2017 and the Union of Independent States in 1992. Only the Soviet Union, which claimed eight titles in 1990, has enjoyed a more successful edition.
France’s outstanding campaign was spearheaded by Nina GUO ZHENG and Leana HOCHART, who finished as the championships’ most decorated players with three gold medals each. Together they guided France to the Under 19 Girls Team title before successfully defending their Under 19 Girls Doubles crown. GUO ZHENG added the Under 19 Girls Singles title, while HOCHART completed her golden collection alongside Antoine NOIRAULT in the Under 19 Mixed Doubles event.
By retaining their Under 19 Girls Doubles title, GUO ZHENG and HOCHART joined an exclusive group of players to have successfully defended the crown. Before them, only Bernadette SZOCS and Petrissa SOLJA (2011 and 2012), Romania’s Mihaela STEFF and Antonela MANAC (1994 and 1995), the Soviet Union’s Iolanta DANILIAVICIUTE and Elena VECEROK (1981 and 1982), and Valentina POPOVA and Narine ANTONIAN (1977 and 1978) had achieved the feat.
The Under 15 events also produced several remarkable stories. Amina ILIMBETOVA completed a memorable championships by winning both the Under 15 Girls Singles and Doubles titles, while Spain’s Ladimir MAYOROV collected two gold medals in doubles and a bronze in singles. Türkiye’s Gorkem OCAL crowned an outstanding tournament with the Under 15 Boys Singles title, adding silver in mixed doubles and bronze in boys doubles.
History was also made in the Under 15 Boys Doubles event. Ladimir MAYOROV, just one day before his 13th birthday, and Austria’s Louis FEGERL, aged 12 years and 340 days, became the youngest pairing ever to win the title. Never before had two Under 13 players captured the European Under 15 Boys Doubles crown, although their success came after reaching the final together a year earlier.
Ireland also celebrated a milestone as Peadar SHERIDAN claimed a bronze medal in the Under 15 Boys Doubles event. He became only the second Irish player to win a medal at the European Youth Championships, following Sophie EARLEY, who collected three medals across the 2021 and 2022 editions.
Another historic statistic emerged from the singles competitions. Under 19 champions Danilo FASO of Italy and Nina GUO ZHENG of France are both only 16 years old. While previous champions such as Jan-Ove WALDNER (1981), Britt EERLAND (2010), Bernadette SZOCS (2011), Adina DIACONU (2014) and Annette KAUFMANN (2022) had each won the title at the same age, Gondomar marked the first time in the history of the championships that both the Under 19 boys and girls singles champions were 16-year-olds in the same edition.
