Podium for Gibraltar badminton players at Feria de Almeria

A select team from Gibraltar came away with some success at the Feria de Almería 2026 badminton tournament this past week.

The team's visit to Almería, organised through the efforts of David Chevasco, who was at the time on a three-week visit to the region with university students from Japan, saw Gibraltar pick up a number of medals, while also providing a unique opportunity for two players to compete in Spain.

Mr Chevasco, who had competed regularly in Spain in the past, was able to gather together a team from Gibraltar to compete in the Open across various categories, including the A, B, C and Alevín (Under-12) categories.

Contacting the newspaper after their success, he said: "Many of us won bronze medals, and three of us won events in the A and C doubles categories. Despite being in our forties, Kasper Thy Jessen and I managed to surprise a former top Spanish club player and an Under-19 Spanish National Doubles bronze medallist to win the A-class doubles final in five gruelling sets, to the screams of delight from the small group of supporters who had made the trip from Gibraltar.

"Samarth Bodha (Sam), teamed up with José Francisco García from Almería, also managed to win the Category C doubles."

The opportunity also saw brothers Jamie, aged eight, and Thomas Jessen, aged 10, play and compete together, keeping up a family tradition, with the Jessen seniors having maintained themselves among the top-ranked players in Gibraltar in recent years.

The venture also highlighted another first this season, with a married couple who are long-term Gibraltar residents and have competed regularly for Gibraltar given the opportunity to cross freely into Spain to play without the need for a visa, following the recent treaty agreement between the UK and EU on Gibraltar.

The pair finished joint third in the Category B doubles.

Full list of Gibraltar successes:

Alevín (Under-12) Doubles: Jamie and Thomas Jessen — Joint third
Alevín (Under-12) Singles: Thomas Jessen — Joint third
Category C Doubles: Samarth Bodha — 1st place
Category C Singles: Samarth Bodha — Joint third
Category B Doubles: Cielo and Ramel Gonzales — Joint third
Category B Singles: Ramel Gonzales — Joint third
Category A Doubles: Kasper Thy Jessen and David Chevasco — 1st place
Category A Singles: Kasper Thy Jessen — Joint third