PETALING JAYA: Shuttler Kunlavut Vitidsarn (pic) created history by becoming the first Thai to capture the men’s singles gold in the Asian Championships.
It was not the way Kunlavut wanted to win the title though, after homester Lu Guangzu was forced to retire from the match after sustaining an injury while trailing 12-21, 6-11 at the Ningbo Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in China yesterday.
It was a sad end for Guangzu, who was hoping to become the first Chinese in the men’s singles to win the title since Chen Long in 2017.
It was a historic achievement though for Kunlavut, who continues to break through barriers for his country, after becoming the first Thai to win the world title in the men’s singles in 2023.
The 23-year-old also captured his country’s first medal in badminton in the Olympics when he won silver in the Paris Olympics last August.
Meanwhile, the hosts were not to be denied in the women’s singles when Chen Yufei nailed the gold for the first time after coming from behind to beat teammate Han Yue 11-21, 21-14, 21-9.
It was the 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion’s biggest title since returning to competitions in February after taking a five-month break following the Paris Games.
There was further joy for China when women’s doubles pair Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning lived up to their status as top seeds by ousting Japan’s All-England champions Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida 21-15, 21-19.
In the mixed doubles, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet reaped the fruits of their labour after fighting hard to overcome Japan’s Hiroki Midorikawa-Natsu Saito 21-15, 17-21, 21-13 for the gold.
Chun Man-Ying Suet became the first pair outside China to win the mixed doubles title in the Asian meet since Indonesia’s Tantowi Ahmad-Liliyana Natsir emerged champions in 2015.
