Badminton Fiesta 2025 Celebrates First Anniv. of Magic Strikers Club

GREAT BAY--The Badminton Fiesta 2025, held on Saturday, October 4 at the Sint Maarten Academy gym, marked the first anniversary of the Magic Strikers Badminton Club. The event brought together players from Sint Maarten, Saint Martin, Saba, Suriname, and St. Eustatius (Statia) for a full day of competition in both junior and adult divisions.

In the junior division, 29 players aged 8 to 16 competed across four skill levels, playing more than 45 matches. Players from the French side dominated Levels 1 and 2, while Magic Strikers members won top positions in Levels 3 and 4. Organizers noted this was the first junior badminton tournament ever hosted on Sint Maarten, marking an important step for the sport’s development on the island.

The adult competition featured 19 doubles teams across three categories: Advanced (A), Intermediate (B), and Beginners (C). Each division produced new champions after 30 matches.

• In Category A, favorites Stephanie Jadi (Suriname) and Thais Legrand (Saint Martin) withdrew after Jadi sustained an injury, opening the field for new winners.

• In Category B, Nestor Laurenaria and Chrismon Soriano of Magic Strikers took the title after two close sets against Vincent Boëtius and Lloyd Heinze. At the previous Challenge Cup, Team Statia had won all divisions, but this time they settled for bronze.

• In Category C, the Magic Strikers duo Reo Liesdek and Tiego Graanoogst won the championship, defeating favorites Andwele Illes and Timothy Dowling in the group stage before overcoming Mark Abas and Stephan Kromokarijo in the final.

Following the event, Orion and Team Statia announced plans to host their own tournaments inspired by Magic Strikers’ example. The club has also confirmed two events for next year — the Challenge Cup 2026 in March/April and Badminton Fiesta 2026 in October.

Magic Strikers thanked all players, parents, sponsors, and volunteers for their participation and support. A club spokesperson said badminton continues to gain momentum on Sint Maarten, noting that the 2025 tournament demonstrated growing interest and collaboration across the region.

𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬:

𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 (𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬)

• Level 1: Gold – Lucas Regent Callat (Saint Martin); Silver – Rose Giroud (Saint Martin); Bronze – Aleke Gutierrez Peralta & Roeniel Sarabdjitsingh (Magic Strikers)

• Level 2: Gold – Antoine Breard (Saint Martin); Silver – Eliam Senecaux (Saint Martin); Bronze – Purav Sujanani & Tanay Bijlani (Orion)

• Level 3: Gold – Ian Hofwijks (Magic Strikers); Silver – Inaya Paloeng (Magic Strikers); Bronze – Amy Kanhai & Kyle Abas (Magic Strikers)

• Level 4: Gold – Nathan Dowling-Busby (Magic Strikers); Silver – Adrian van der Riet (Magic Strikers); Bronze – Eiffel Laurenaria & Rahini Lulla (Magic Strikers)

𝐀𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 (𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬)

• Category A: Gold – Victor Vigouroux (Saint Martin) / Martijn Eerland (Orion); Silver – Alex Lindo / Ruthilio Redan (Team Statia); Bronze – François Thao / Marjorie Hartock (Saint Martin) & Reuben Merkman / Wilfred James (Team Statia)

• Category B: Gold – Nestor Laurenaria / Chrismon Soriano (Magic Strikers); Silver – Vincent Boëtius / Lloyd Heinze; Bronze – Jarmilla Berkel / David Hooker & Mystica de Haan-Hassell / Gerald de Jong (Team Statia)

• Category C: Gold – Reo Liesdek / Tiego Graanoogst (Magic Strikers); Silver – Mark Abas / Stephan Kromokarijo (Magic Strikers); Bronze – Andwele Illes / Timothy Dowling (Magic Strikers) & Angelique Armougom / Celine Renger (Saint Martin)

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