Earlier today, Hungary secured its first ever medal at a European Championships when Vivien Sándorházi defeated Clara Azurmendi to book her spot in tomorrow’s semifinal.
Now, it’s Croatia’s turn to make history, as Aria Dinata has followed suit by clinching a semifinal spot after a hard-fought 13-21, 21-18, 21-19 win over Joakim Oldorf from Finland.

Aria Dinata, originally from Indonesia, moved to Croatia three years ago, and this semifinal appearance marks the biggest result of his career so far.
There was no hiding the emotions as Dinata showed his emotions after winning the final point, and the same could be said for his delighted coach.

After the match Dinata said:
“It was amazing because I have never played in such big halls, usually I play in the Future Series and International Series tournaments... I think it is a really great atmosphere, it has been really nice.”

Tomorrow, Dinata will face Toma Junior Popov. And although he knows he’ll go into the match as the underdog, he’s ready to fight with everything he’s got:

“I can say, let’s bring it. I am always ready for a challenge, and I am not afraid of it.”

Congratulations to Aria Dinata and the Croatian Badminton Association on their first ever European Championships medal