Defending Gold Medalists

This year’s Olympics carry over from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics as we see the Champions all returning and defending their Gold medal in great form. 

Viktor Axelsen’s racket of choice - Astrox 100zz

My early HOT prediction is that there will only be ONE repeat champion and the other 4 events will see NEW Olympic champions, ushering in a new era of badminton.

DARK HORSES THAT COULD SURPRISE YOU:

WS - Carolina Marin

Marin has started to regain her form throughout this year and has been able to challenge the top 4 WS players (An Se Yong, Chen Yu Fei, Yamaguchi, Tai Tzu Ying). She’s a proven champion and always performs on the biggest stages when the stakes are high and having European support could do wonders for her. Especially during the Olympics it all depends on who plays at their peak, regardless of rankings.

Potential finish: Silver medal (2nd)

MS - Anthony Sinisuka Ginting

A Bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, Ginting continues to build on his performances against all the other MS players. With this year’s Men’s Singles draw already laid out, Ginting will potentially have to go through Lee Zii Jia, Anders Antonsen, Kunlavut Vitidsarn, Kenta Nishimoto or Shi Yu Qi in order to reach the finals; all of whom are players Ginting can definitely compete against. After going through this tough gauntlet, it all depends on whether Ginting can maintain his nerves because his stamina and endurance has proven to be a strength of his. 

Potential finish: Silver medal (2nd)

XD - Dechapol Puavaranukroh / Sapsiree Taerattanachai

Already one of the oldest pairs in XD event, Dechapol and Sapsiree may have one last bit of juice left in them to perform at their best. As World Champions in 2021, they have proven that they can still compete with the other top XD pairs and go deep into the tournament. Their Group also proves to be fairly easier compared to the other Groups so they could benefit from not exerting too much energy and preparing for their knockout stage matches.

Potential finish: Bronze medal (3rd)

MD - Aaron Chia / Soh Wooi Yik

Another World Champion (2022) pair who have the opportunity to improve on their bronze medal performance from Tokyo Olympics, Chia and Soh are competing in what I consider the most competitive and wide open event. During this Olympics qualification period there have been so many changes to the rankings because every pair has the ability to beat each other. It all comes down to matchup, mental and whether they can shake off the pressure. 

Potential finish: Gold medal (1st)

WD - Kim So-yeong / Kong Hee-yong

In order to win a WD title, you must go through the toughest pair: Chen QingChen and Jia YiFan. Kim and Kong have proven they can beat them and better yet match their energy. This Korean pair looks to benefit from a fairly easier group compared to Group A so they will have a lot of time to rest and mentally prepare as they also look to improve from their bronze medal finish in Tokyo.

Potential finish: Silver medal (2nd)

CHEERING ON TEAM CANADA!

Michelle Li

Michelle Li is competing at her 4th Olympics! This is an amazing feat to achieve in any sport as it requires a combination of high performance, longevity, resilience and courage in order to endure the ups and downs of sport. You are a true Badminton legend of Canada and a role model for generations to come!

Nyl Yakura / Adam Xingyu Dong

Nyl Yakura is back with a NEW partner: Adam Xingyu Dong. Nyl first competed at the Tokyo Olympics and after forming their partnership afterwards in 2021 they have gone through the full ring of fire in order to qualify for the Paris Olympics in such a short time. Representing Canada at the Thomas Cup, Commonwealth Games and becoming Pan American Champions, this duo is now ready to complete the journey on the biggest stage of Badminton!

Brian Yang

Brian Yang’s journey to becoming Captain Canada continues as he competes at his second Olympics (first one at Tokyo). Brian has made a great leap jumping from World Ranking #44 to now #25 with impressive victories against top ranked players during this Olympic qualification period; Brian is definitely a player to watch out for! At only 22 years old, Brian serves as a great inspiration to Canadian players for years to come. 

WHERE TO WATCH?

The BWF Youtube channel and Instagram page is a great source to catch all the highlights but the Media Rights Holders (MRHs) for Canada is CBC. I’ve laid out the first links for you down below!

Tournament matches start on July 26, full schedule: https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/schedule/badminton?day=26-july

CBC in Canada
Badminton - Group Play - Day 1 Session 1

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6448447

Badminton - Mixed Prelims - Session 3 Day 2

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6453043

Badminton - Prelims - Session 1 Day 3

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6450128

Like what you saw? Follow me on Instagram as I reveal my tournament picks/podium finishes for each event!

By Angus Li

Instagram: @angusli.yumo