Day 1
St. Louis, MO, WPH Press, 1/30/26
The World Players of Handball and the St. Louis Handball Community, headed by the Streibig family, were thrilled to present the 2026 St. Louis R48 and WR48. The 2026 St. Louis R48 and WR48 is the first pro event played at the newly constructed National Handball Center.
R48
The R48 Men’s Pro is headlined by R48 #1 and two-time 2025/26 Race finalist Martin Mulkerrins, who recently returned from a handball promotional mission to Africa (HERE) and his wedding in Ireland. The newly married Mulkerrins faces a very strong field in the first Race event of 2026, to include the Race’s most recent champion, Ray Ure. Ure dominated the 2025 Memorial (HERE)and aims to continue his momentum in the “Gateway of the West.” In addition to Mulkerrins and Ure, The Flying Cordovas, Leo Canales, and the rest of the Race’s Elite 8 will be hungry for a title in “Mound City.”
The newly married Mulkerrins faced a stiff challenge against one of the tour’s most athletic stars in the round of 16, as the globetrotting Mulkerrins needed every shot in his arsenal to overcome the diving future Race star. “This is top-level handball,” expressed ESPN’s Dave Vincent from courtside.
Second-seeded Lucho Cordova dispatched John Chapman in two games, just two hours after Chapman authored a comeback from 10-15, 9-14 down in his round of 32 match.
Ivan Burgos was clinical against Shorty Ruiz, while Sean Lenning cruised past Andres Cordova.
Eighth-seeded Mark Doyle made eight errors in the first nine rallies of his match against Sam Esser, eventually dropping the first game. Doyle needed just seven minutes to win the second game and fought off home court Esser in a close third to defeat Esser for the second consecutive Race stop in the round of 16 and the sixth time on their thirteen head-t-head meetings.
Max Langmack stunned collegiate track star and current Memorial champion Ray Ure in the first game of their round of 16 match. “I slowed the game down and made my kills,” Langmack would later say. Ure won the second game by leaning on his back wall game and led 13-9 in the third after several sensational rallies. “I was in it at 9-13,” Langmack would later say. Ure scored the final two points to avoid his second round of 16 loss in his last three Race stops.
Danos Cordova faced the US National Handball Center captain Jeff Streibig, battling not only the captain, but a raucous Streibig gallery. Danos escaped a close first game but quickly found himself in a tiebreaker. Danos silenced the Streibig Army by building a huge lead in the third, with the two playing “Langball” at one point, with referee Max Langmack presiding over several full-contact rallies. Danos forced the Streibig Army to surrender, ousting the captain in a close tiebreaker.
Leo Canales needed overtime and a close second game to overcome the surging Diarmuid Mulkerrins.
Round of 16
Mulkerrins def McGrath 15-11, 15-13
Doyle def Esser 9-15, 15-6, 15-12
Ure def Langmack 7-15, 15-2, 15-11
Burgos def Ruiz 15-4, 15-4
Canales def D. Mulkerrins 16-14, 15-13
Cordova def Streibig 15-13, 3-15, 15-10
Lenning def A. Cordova 15-8, 15-7
Lucho def Chapman 15-5, 15-2
Round of 8 (Saturday, all times CST)
Mulkerrins vs. Doyle 10 am
Ure vs. Burgos 10:45 am
Lenning vs. Lucho 11:30 am
Canales vs. Danos 12:15 am
WR48
WR48 #1 Niamh Heffernan headlined the WR48 St. Louis field, having won the last two WR48 stops in Salt Lake City and Tucson. Heffernan’s quest for a three-peat in “The Lou” will be difficult, as fellow WR48 Fab 4 stars Aoife Holden and Clodagh Munroe will be aiming for STL glory.
Round of 16
Heffernan def Brotherton 15-1, 15-3
Pecaut def Klicker 15-10, 15-7
Entzeroth def Behne 15-6, 15-0
Ruiz def Gregory 15-3, 15-1
Munroe def Sharkey 15-5, 15-6
Rumping def Hughes 15-2, 15-0
Bell def Munson 15-4, 0-15, 15-13
Holden def Schoene 15-3, 15-3
Round of 8 (Saturday, all times CST)
Heffernan vs. Pecaut 10 am
Entzeroth vs. Ruiz 10:45 am
Munroe vs. Rumping 15-2, 15-0
Holden vs. Bell 12:15 pm
2026 St. Louis Race 4 Eight Important Links
Follow the 2026 Race 4 Eight St. Louis brackets HERE
2026 St. Louis Race 4 Eight press release HERE
2025 JR WPH Portfolio HERE
Updated Race 4 Eight Fun Facts and Trends HERE
Updated Race 4 Eight Rankings Post 2025 Memorial HERE
Race 4 Eight pro player bios HERE
WPH Coaching Centers HERE
WPH Workout Central HERE
2025/26 Race 4 Eight schedule HERE
David Fink
WPH Senior Writer
2026 WPH R48Pro #3 Race St Louis
St Louis Mo – Jan 30 – Feb 1, 2026
ESPN+ Broadcast Schedule
(CST)
Saturday, January 30th, 2026 – All Times Central Standard Time (CST)
1000 Men’s Pro Quarterfinal – Martin Mulkerrins vs Mark Doyle
1045 Men’s Pro Quarterfinal – Ray Ure vs Ivan Burgos
1130 Men’s Pro Quarterfinal – Sean Lenning vs Luis Cordova
1215 Men’s Pro Quarterfinal – Leo Canales Jr vs Daniel Cordova
1315 Women’s Semifinal – Heffernan or Pecaut vs Entzeroth or Ruiz
1400 Women’s Semifinal – Munroe or Rumping vs Bell or Holden
1500 Men’s Pro Semifinal – Martin Mulkerrins or Mark Doyle vs Ray Ure or Ivan Burgos
1600 Men’s Pro Semifinal – Sean Lenning or Luis Cordova vs Leo Canales Jr or Daniel Cordova