Doubles masterclass earns Denmark first gold

Baku, June 28, AZERTAC Denmark's first gold medal of the European Games came from the country's world no.2 men's doubles, in the latest instalment of what is becoming one of the continent's great Badminton rivalries. Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen handed out a 21-8, 21-13 lesson to Russia's Vladimir Ivanov and Ivan Sozonov, who had beaten the Danes on their way to clinching a European championships gold last year. The Russian second seeds had been confident of another victory at Baku Sports Hall on Saturday, after the combination of Sozonov's speed and Ivanov's towering presence at the net flattened every previous challenger in Baku. But Boe and Mogensen had other ideas, their mesmeric movement around the court leaving their world no.11 opponents helplessly sending a series of returns back into the net. The contest was over in just 27 minutes. Bronze went to Friday's losing semi-finalists, the German pair Raphael Beck and Andreas Heinz, and Sam and Josh Magee of Ireland.