2024 World Four-Wall Championships

Sam Esser November 1, 2024 Featured, News
DUBLIN  — Handball fans were treated to an epic day of action on finals day at the 2024 World Handball Championships. Four matches were slated to play on the show court at the National Handball Center in Dublin. It consisted of the Mens Open singles and doubles final and the Women’s Open singles and doubles final. The crowd was electric and the seats were filled all day. 
The crowd Sunday at the National Handball Center. Photo by Stephen Marken.
 
The day kicked off with 2018 world champion Martina McMahon taking on Ciana Ni Churraoin in the Women’s Single finals. Ni Churraoin played lights out in game one, using her trademark power to overwhelm McMahon and convert her setups to win 15-11.
 
It looked as if she was going to do the same in game two as she built an early lead and looked in control. But a few errors and a skipped served by Ni Churra0in gave McMahon an opening to make a comeback and she tightened the game. Still, Ni Churraoin served for match point, and with a big back wall setup it looked as if she would close it out. She powered the shot down the left, going for a deep pass, but McMahon barely got her hand on it and flipped into the left corner for a kill. A few moments later, McMahon had forced the tiebreaker.
 
It felt like McMahon had all the momentum going into the third game, and she jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead. Ni Churraoin though refused to quit and wrestled the momentum back. She began to find her groove and built a 10-4 lead and served for the match for the second time. McMahon contined to fight though and got back in the service box. She rallied up to 8 points before Ni Churraoin sided her out and finally converted match point with a powerful shot down the left side. The joy on her face was evident as she completed the biggest win of her career.
Ciana Ni Churraoin after winng the World Title. Photo by Stephen Marken
 
Next up was the Men’s Open Final between Paul Brady and Diarmaid Nash. Brady is no stranger to big games, and had his sights set on his sixth world championships. The red hot Nash was hoping to earn his first world singles title and finish off his impressive run that saw him beat multiple elite players, including current US National Champion Killian Carroll. 
 
Nash came out fast in game one, pushing Brady all around the court and forcing him into errors. The game was one sided, and Nash won 15-8.
 
Everybody expected a stronger Brady to come out in game two and that’s exactly what happened. Brady raced out to an 8-0 lead before Nash put a point on the board. Brady finished off the game 15-7 to force a tiebreaker that would decide the World Champion.
 
Brady built a slight lead to begin the tiebreaker and looked in dominant form. Nash continued to fight but Brady was determined to finish. At 10-5, Brady earned a setup with his left hand that he flattened in the left corner. He immediately turned to the crowd and let out a roar. He went on to say after the match that this World Title was as sweet as his first one, and thanked everyone who helped him achieve it. When asked if he was done with this level of handball competition, he said “I never say never.”
Nash sets up for a shot in the finals. Photo by Stephen Marken.
 
The finalists of the Women’s Doubles took the court next, as Ciana Ni Churrain and Niamh Heffernan would do battle with Martina McMahon and Aoife McCarthy. 
 
McMahon looked determined to avenge her singles loss to Ni Churrain and deny her the slam. Her and McCarthy came out fast in game one and held on to win 15-11. Game two Ni Churrain and Heffernan evened the count to force a tiebreaker.
With McMahon shooting the ball from the back court and McCarthy playing steady up front, they found their groove again and won 11-4 to become world champs.
 
The last match of the day and the 2024 World Four-Wall Championships was the Men’s Open doubles between Killian Carroll and Martin Mulkerrins vs Robbie McCarthy and Joe McCann.  
 
Like every other match that day and to nobody’s surprise, it went to a tiebreaker. Carroll and Mulkerrins built a 7-2 lead in the breaker and looked to be in control. But with the crow behind them, McCarthy and McCann wouldn’t quit. They got back in the box and never left it again. They completed the comeback to cap off and epic tournament with an epic match.
McCarthy moments after winning the Open Doubles. Photo by Stephen Marken.
 
Thank you to the GAA and all of their volunteers for putting on an amazing world tournament. There were over 2,000 matches played in the span of nine days, and it took a village to pull off. 
 
You can watch all of the action that took place over the weekend on the Sport TG4 YouTube channel.
 
Check out all of the Draws HERE.
 

CONGRATS TO OUR AMERICAN WORLD CHAMPIONS

Ed Campbell- 75+ Singles

Ed Campbell and Merv Deckert- 75+ Doubles

Dan Brennan- 70+ Singles

Sean Conneely and Ray Estevez- 70+ Doubles

Lloyd Garcia and Gary Scogin- 65+ Doubles

James Cooke- 55+ B Singles

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DUBLIN — The semifinal matches in the Men’s and Ladies Open divisions promise an exciting day of handball on Saturday, all taking place on Showcourt #1 at the National Handball Centre, located at Croke Park.

The day kicks off with the Ladies’ semifinal action, featuring Ciana Ni Churraoin against Niamh Heffernan, followed by Martina McMahon taking on Fiona Tully.

Men’s singles action begins with a rematch of the 2019 USHA Men’s Open final, as Martin Mulkerrins faces Paul Brady. Both players have looked dominant on their paths to today’s matchup, not dropping a game in the opening rounds.

The second Men’s semifinal features Diarmaid Nash against David Walsh, both of whom pulled off dramatic wins in the quarterfinals.

Nash has been in top form at these World Championships. He started strong in the quarterfinals against current USHA National champion Killian Carroll, winning the first game 15-1. The gallery and those watching the Sport TG4 YouTube live stream braced for a possible tiebreaker, knowing Carroll’s penchant for comebacks. Carroll did just that, winning the second game 15-9. Nash dictated the pace of the tiebreaker, which could have swung either way, serving out for an 11-8 victory.

David Walsh continued his incredible run in Croke Park on Thursday, defeating Team Ireland captain Robbie McCarthy 8-15, 15-8, 11-9. McCarthy had been breezing through his matches until Walsh caught fire in the second game. That streak continued as he shocked one of the tournament favorites to advance to the semifinals.

In doubles action, Leo Canales and Abraham Montijo (USA) made some clutch shots down the stretch to advance to the semifinals, defeating Colin Crehan and Diarmaid Nash (Ireland) 9-15, 15-6, 11-4. They will play Martin Mulkerrins and Killian Carroll (Ireland), who stopped Sam Esser and Braulio Ruiz (USA) with a 15-7, 15-7 win in their quarterfinal matchup.

Luis and Daniel Cordova (Mexico) defeated Peter and Paddy Funchion (Ireland) 15-9, 15-3 to advance to the semifinals. They’ll play Robbie McCarthy and Joe McCann (Ireland), who defeated Ray Ure and Ivan Burgos (USA) 15-3, 11-15, 11-4.

Stay updated on scores and match progress by selecting the “Fixtures” option for the best screen viewing experience for smart phones, tablets or PCs by following this link HERE.

Watch all the action live from the National Handball Centre on the TG4 Sport YouTube channel.

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DUBLIN — The Round of 16 at the National Handball Centre near Croke Park was challenging for players from the U.S. and Mexico on Wednesday. Luis “Lucho” Cordova of Mexico narrowly missed a victory in a thrilling tiebreaker against Ireland’s Daniel Relihan, with a final score of 15-12, 5-15, 11-10. In the tense closing moments, Relihan injured his wrist while diving to intercept a shot down the left wall. After briefly recovering, he secured the last point, advancing to the quarterfinals. 

In another intense round of 16 match, Ireland’s Peter Funchion edged out Mexico’s Daniel “Danos” Cordova in three games, finishing 15-11, 10-15, 11-8. Meanwhile, Killian Carroll of the U.S. was in top form, claiming a swift 15-2, 15-2 victory over Ivan Burgos.

The day concluded with a clash between Diarmaid Nash of Ireland and Ray Ure of the U.S. Ure, who reached the Pro Stop final in Portland, tested Nash, the 2022 USHA Men’s Champion, pushing the match to a third game before falling 15-11, 12-15, 11-6.

In the Women’s Open, Mikaila Esser of the U.S. delivered an exciting victory over Aoife Holden of Ireland, finishing 15-8, 10-15, 11-10. Esser will face Ireland’s Ciana Ní Churraoin in Thursday’s quarterfinals, while Danielle Daskalakis of the U.S. takes on Martina McMahon of Ireland.

At the Coolboy venue, Terry Britt of the U.S. defeated Edward Farrelly of Ireland in the 70-plus division with a close 12-15, 15-10, 11-10 win. Britt will face fellow American Dan Brennan in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

In the 65-plus singles at the Borris venue, Gary Sternberg of the U.S. advanced to the semifinals with a commanding 15-14, 15-4 victory over Ireland’s Michael Rossiter.

The final for the 50-plus singles is set, with Ireland’s Gavin Buggy set to face Justin Balkenbush of the U.S. on Friday morning at the Tinryland venue.

Stay updated on scores and match progress by selecting the “Fixtures” option for the best screen viewing experience for smart phones, tablets or PCs by following this link HERE.

Watch all the action live from the National Handball Centre on the TG4 Sport YouTube channel.

Ray Ure of Minnesota, USA in action against Kevin Diggins of Leixlip, Kildare in the Open Men's round of 32 during day three of the O'Neills.com World 4-Wall Championships at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Stephen Marken/Sportsfile.

DUBLIN — The Men’s Open is now down to just 16 players. Several American based players are still in the tournament and looking to secure their spot in the top eight. 

Several Team USA players will be in action on Wednesday, as all of them have advanced thus far. 

Leo Canales will take on David Walsh to kick off play on Wednesday morning. Shortly after, Ivan Burgos will go up against Killian Carroll. Ray Ure faces off with Diarmaid Nash later in the day. 

On the ladies side, Ashley Ruiz will face off with Irish phenon Martina McMahon. Mikaila Esser will take on Texas based Aoife Holden in her match. Danielle Daskalakis has a bye and will await the results today to find out who she plays. 

The action so far at the National Handball Center in Dublin has been phenomenal. Make sure you’re tuning into the live feed on the Sport TG4 Youtube channel HERE and follow along with all the brackets HERE. 

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DUBLIN — Round of 64 action began in the Men’s Open division today, with many americans competing. 

Abraham Montijo and Rene Lopez went down to Irish competitors in their opening round games, losing tightly contested matches. 

Loren Collado played maybe the match of the day in his round of 64 matchup against Ian McLoughlin. After winning quickly in game one, Collado could not seem to finish off McLoughlin in game two, and ended up losing 15-14. He regrouped in the tiebreaker and played his best handball of the match, winning it 11-3. 

The Round of 32 in the Men’s Open will kick off tomorrow morning at 9am Ireland time with all the big names playing. There will be some exciting matches, make sure you tune into the live feed on the Sport TG4 Youtube channel. 

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IRELAND — The 2024 World Four-Wall Championships presented by ONeills.com is less than a week away! The tournament will take place all across Ireland October 26th-November 3rd. With over 1,600 entries received, there will be plenty of matches taking place across the week of the tournament. 

Our Team USA Representatives are ready to compete for a World Title in the open division against stiff competition:

Men’s Singles: Leo Canales
Men’s Doubles: Ivan Burgos and Ray Ure
Women’s Singles: Danielle Daskalakis
Women’s Doubles: Mikaila Esser and Ashley Ruiz

The draws have been posted at knowthescore.ie which you can access HERE. 

  1. Select “Go to Draw Tree”
  2. Under Choose Tournament, choose “World 4-Wall Championships
  3. Choose your category and then division to view the bracket. 
Purchase your Team USA gear from our webstore HERE.