Paris Olympics: what to know and who to watch during the badminton competition
- Out to foil China’s Chen Yu Fei will be South Korean hope An Se-young, while some countries will be competing in the sport for the first time
A sport where Hong Kong’s mixed doubles pair Doo Hoi-kem and Wong Chun-ting are legitimate medal contenders, most of the gold is expected to go to China.
South Korea’s An Se-young may have something to say about that in the women’s singles, while world No 1 Viktor Axelsen is the defending men’s champion.
Athletes to watch
Beiwen Zhang (United States): After winning the women’s singles gold at the 2023 Pan American Games, the 33-year-old is the best shot at the first American badminton medal at the Olympics since its debut as a medal event in 1992. Born in China, Zhang moved to Singapore as a teenager in 2007 and has represented the US internationally since 2013.
Viktor Axelsen (Denmark): Axelsen was Europe’s only medallist in Tokyo three years ago, where he won gold, and he was the top qualifier for Paris. At 30, this will be his third Olympics; he won bronze in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Chen Yu Fei (China): The defending women’s singles champion led China to a tournament win in May and finished behind only An Se-young of South Korea in the Paris qualification rankings.
Storylines to follow
Uphill climbers The US mixed doubles team of Vinson Chiu and Jennie Gai qualified at the Pan Am Games. It still will be an uphill climb for them to win a medal.
