The 2016 European Individual Squash Championships concluded in contrasting styles in the Czech Republic capital city Prague when France's Camille Serme won the women's title and Spaniard Borja Golan clinched the men's gold medal at the Hector Sports Centre.
Competing in her sixth successive final, top seed Serme claimed her fifth straight title after recovering from a game down to beat Nele Gilis 8-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-5 in 43 minutes. The match marked the maiden final for Gilis, the 20-year-old 3/4 seed from Belgium who beat her younger sister Tinne Gilis in the semi-finals.
Golan, a 3/4 seed from Santiago de Compostela, was making his ninth appearance in the championship - and appearing in his fourth final, and his third against French star Gregory Gaultier, the reigning world champion bidding for a record tenth title!
But this was to be Golan's year: the 33-year-old Spaniard battled for 82 minutes to beat Gaultier for only the second time in his career 10-12, 11-7, 11-4, 3-11, 11-9 and claim the prestigious European crown for the first time.
RESULTS: European Individual Squash Championships, Prague, Czech Republic
Men's quarter-finals:
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [5/8] Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) 11-3, 11-4, 11-6 (32m)
[3/4] Lucas Serme (FRA) bt [5/8] Jan Koukal (CZE) 11-7, 11-6, 11-13, 7-11, 11-4 (62m)
[3/4] Borja Golan (ESP) bt [5/8] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) 11-8, 11-5, 11-9 (33m)
[5/8] Raphael Kandra (GER) bt [2] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 11-3, 8-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9 (64m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [3/4] Lucas Serme (FRA) 11-6, 11-4, 11-8 (42m)
[3/4] Borja Golan (ESP) bt [5/8] Raphael Kandra (GER) 11-5, 11-9, 11-8 (42m)
Bronze medal play-off:
[3/4] Lucas Serme (FRA) bt [5/8] Raphael Kandra (GER) 8-11, 13-11, 11-8, 12-10 (63m)
Final:
[3/4] Borja Golan (ESP) bt [1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 10-12, 11-7, 11-4, 3-11, 11-9 (82m)
Women's quarter-finals:
[1] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [5/8] Anna Serme (CZE) 11-4, 11-6, 11-2 (26m)
[3/4] Sina Wall (GER) bt [5/8] Birgit Coufal (AUT) 11-7, 13-11, 11-3 (21m)
[3/4] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt [5/8] Xisela Aranda (ESP) 11-2, 11-6, 11-7 (32m)
[5/8] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt [2] Coline Aumard (FRA) 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 6-11, 12-10 (67m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [3/4] Sina Wall (GER) 11-8, 11-2, 11-4 (23m)
[3/4] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt [5/8] Tinne Gilis (BEL) 11-4, 11-6, 12-10 (46m)
Bronze medal play-off:
[5/8] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt [3/4] Sina Wall (GER) 12-10, 14-12, 8-11, 11-13, 11-5 (55m)
Final:
[1] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [3/4] Nele Gilis (BEL) 8-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-5 (43m)
