Turkish player clinches bronze in badminton tourney

By Addis Getachew

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) - A Turkish player on Sunday clinched the bronze medal in an international badminton tournament that brought together 85 players from 12 countries.

Turkey’s Emre Lale placed third in the tournament ladder, beating players from Jordan, Ethiopia, and Luxembourg.

He was bested by an Indian competitor, who later fell to an Israeli player.

Players from those countries plus Uganda, Israel, Zambia, Egypt, Algeria, Sri Lanka, India, and the Seychelles competed for the crown since Thursday, when the Ethiopia International opened.

Turkish coach Murat Sonmez told Anadolu Agency that the two Turkish players representing their country did very well in the competition.

“We were able to get a medal and represented our country in a good spirit of sportsmanship,” he said.

“We want to get more success in international championships that lead to the Olympics.”

After getting his bronze, Lale told Anadolu Agency: “This was a very good and challenging championship for me. My aim was to be a champion. But I lost in the semifinal, unfortunately.”

“The next championship is in Bulgaria, and I hope to be a medalist there too,” he said.