A three-time Pan American Jr. champion and last year’s U13 US junior champion, Don Henley Averia (12), won two golds (MS and MD) at the Victor Junior Olive Tournament in Belgium during spring break.
Averia was the only US participant among many national junior team players mostly from Europe. Averia emerged to win the singles event with a dominant fashion, not losing a set or setting all the way through.
Averia currently lives in Qatar, where his father is stationed. He trains at Qatar Badminton Academy and in Maryland and the San Francisco Bay Area when he is in the US.
Last year Averia took a gold at the AirAsia International Junior Badminton Championship in Malaysia during Thanksgiving weekend, beating players from Asian powerhouse countries. He next plans to compete at the Glasgow Youth International this May.