Emmalyn Tothong, Zach McClure, and Aleisha Siddiqi all celebrated title doubles as Bermuda’s rising shuttlers took centre stage at the 3rd Annual U12 and U14 National Junior Badminton Tournaments.
A total of 42 young players contested Sunday’s action, showcasing their skills across round-robin pools and knockout stages under the guidance of Junior Coach Emma Moran-Lee, alongside national senior and youth players who assisted with court coaching and mentoring throughout the event.
Tothong proved untouchable in the under-14 girls' division, successfully mounting two national title defences. The youngster swept through an unblemished singles slate to retain her crown ahead of runner-up Ava Swart and third-placed Madeleine McBain.
Tothong then teamed up with Hanako Kitade to replicate their championship-winning form in the doubles, going undefeated to secure back-to-back national titles. McBain and Swart combined to claim the runners-up spot, while Jeanne Prabis and Maddie Branco held their nerve to win a deciding third game 21-18 against Avantika Pai and Georgia Rose to finish third.
McClure enjoyed an equally prolific outing in the under-12 boys' ranks. He charged through a 16-player field undefeated to secure the singles title with a 21-15 victory over William Biram in the final, while Narayan Dhesi edged Ethan Weaver 21-20 in a tense third-place playoff.
McClure then capped his day by partnering Levi Mello in the doubles, with the duo keeping an unblemished record to lift the trophy ahead of runners-up Biram and Landon Boorman, with Elliott St Laurent and Weaver rounding out the podium.
The under-12 girls' events belonged to Siddiqi, who dominated the competition to complete her own clean sweep. Siddiqi stormed through the singles draw without dropping a match to claim national honours over runner-up Leona Tyers and third-placed Evangeline York.
Joining forces with Tyers in the doubles, the pair carried their momentum forward to remain unbeaten, clinching the title ahead of Willa Mir and York, with Samirah Outerbridge and Arya-Rose Zuill securing third.
In the under-14 boys' division, Mason Smith held off Edward Ross 21-14 in an entertaining singles final to lift the championship trophy, while Charles Balderas claimed third with a 21-16 victory over James Wallace.
Balderas bounced back in style in the doubles, combining with Joseph Yammine to cruise through the bracket undefeated and take the under-14 doubles silverware, with Smith and Wallace finishing as runners-up and Oran Lynch and Kaiden DeSilva taking third.
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