Gord McConnell took on the world’s best, and came home with two gold medals from the 2013 Yonex Canadian Masters Badminton Championships.
The 70-year-old joined a field of 193 competitors, playing on 10 courts in Richmond last weekend.
He competed in four events, winning his first gold in men’s 70+ doubles.
McConnell teamed up with Kamloops native Murray Foubister, taking on Darryl Knott (Canada) and Jan Syberg (United States) in quarter-final action.
After beating them, McConnell and his partner advanced to face Daryl Bissell (Canada) and David Brown (Canada) in a semi-final. After dropping the first game 19-21, McConnell and Foubister roared back to take the best-of-three 21-17 and 21-17.
In the final, they beat Japan’s Akira Hirota and American Gord Peerman 21-18 and 21-19.
In mixed doubles, McConnell joined up with Vancouver’s Joanne Sullivan.
They beat Peerman and Eliana Shroeder (Peru) in the quarter-final, then topped Bissell and Margaret Hudson (Canada) in the semi.
In the final, they topped the Cotes of Ottawa, Wilford and Solange, 21-17 and 25-23.
“The international nature of the tournament was quite interesting,” McConnell said. “There were people from Indonesia, Great Britain and Trinidad and Tobago. And lots from the U-S and Canada.”
McConnell advanced to the semi-finals in 65+ men’s doubles and 70+ men’s singles.