Four medals for Cologne students at the DHM Badminton Championships

At the German University Badminton Championships in Essen, students from the Wettkampfgemeinschaft Köln (WG: German Sport University Cologne, University of Cologne and TH Köln) once again put in strong performances and won a total of four medals. After the German Sport University Cologne had hosted the event three times over the past four years (2022, 2023, 2025), the University of Duisburg-Essen hosted the four-day tournament last weekend.

Spoho student Lennart Konder is German University Champion

Around 20 students from WG Köln competed in the individual tournament and impressed with numerous strong performances. The men’s singles proved particularly successful: here, the Cologne athletes secured the full set of medals, from bronze to gold. In the all-WG Köln final, Lennart Konder – currently studying for a Master’s in Teacher Training and a lecturer in badminton at the German Sport University Cologne – defeated Dorian Tihi (TH Köln) in two sets, thereby being crowned the 2026 German University Champion. 

In the mixed doubles, the Cologne players also celebrated a bronze medal.

Strong performances

“The Cologne athletes have once again performed brilliantly and put in some strong performances. I am particularly pleased that Lennart was able to claim the title this year, meaning the men’s singles title returns to Cologne for the first time since 2018,” summarised Dr Daniel Hoffmann, from the Badminton Teaching and Research Department at the German Sport University Cologne.

However, the highlight of the season for the University badminton team from Cologne is still to come: at the end of July, the team will represent the university internationally at the EUSA European Universities Games in Salerno, Italy.