2025 in Review: A Feast for Badminton Aficionados

Has there been a World Championships quite like this one?

From the very first match of the opening day – when fourth seed Li Shi Feng fell to Yushi Tanaka – to the last, with Kim Won Ho/Seo Seung Jae playing at a surreal level, the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2025 offered a full spectrum of experiences.

What was perhaps so unusual was the number of close matches in every session, right from the early rounds. Typically, World Championships tend to pick up pace after the first couple of days; it’s rare for the opening sessions to be hotly contested. Yet, that’s exactly what happened in Paris.

Toma Junior Popov consoles Anthony Ginting

The opening day itself had stark examples, with Li Shi Feng, Lee Zii Jia (back from a long layoff), Ratchanok Intanon and Brian Yang crashing out. No.11 seed Lu Guang Zu had a close shave, but he wouldn’t last long.

Among the most sensational results in the second round was Mathias Christiansen/Alexandra Boje taking down mixed doubles favourites Feng Yan Zhe/Huang Dong Ping. The Danes had spent a year away from the circuit, and it was a curious coincidence that they were back with a bang at the Adidas Arena – venue of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which they had missed.

A First for Shi Yu Qi

With his gold at Paris, Shi Yu Qi finally ticked the biggest item on his to-do list – he finally had a world title. His journey in Paris will be retold long after the event. His first round itself was against a top-level opponent, Lakshya Sen. In subsequent rounds, he was taken the distance by Christo Popov, Weng Hong Yang, Victor Lai and finally, Kunlavut Vitidsarn. Yet, despite the sheer physical and mental toll – he survived two match points in the semifinal – he stayed in the hunt. When the final point was won, an epic campaign had come to fruition.

Shi’s near-defeat in the semifinals, An Se Young’s capitulation to pressure in the semifinals, and Feng/Huang’s second round defeat showed the degree of competitiveness across disciplines.

Electric Atmosphere

One of the talking points of the World Championships was whether audiences in France have done the unthinkable, in creating an atmosphere than rivals Istora Senayan. A year after Paris 2024, it was obvious the fervour hadn’t died down – if anything, it had only grown. The atmosphere brought back memories of the Olympics, with large crowds assembling even for the opening session of Day 1. All through the week-long tournament, they were there, sportingly cheering on all participants.

Rising to the Occasion

Gicquel and Delrue, France’s first pair to medal

Of course, with French players now contesting for medals, the loudest cheers were reserved for home stars – and the French players did not let them down. The Popov brothers, doing double duty in singles and doubles, continued to amaze. Christo Popov was a hair’s breadth away from upsetting top seed Shi Yu Qi in the third round, while Toma Junior Popov had the satisfaction of knocking out Anthony Ginting for the second time at the same venue. Toma Junior would also suffer a heart-stoppingly close third round against Anders Antonsen.

Thom Gicquel/Delphine Delrue made history in becoming the first French pair to win a medal – an apt reward for the crowd which had cheered them all along.

Historic Medals

The breakout star of Paris 2025 was certainly Victor Lai, who made history for Canada as their first medallist. Over the week, the 20-year-old would beat players like Lu Guang Zu, Jeon Hyeok Jin and Loh Kean Yew, before nearly taking down eventual winner Shi Yu Qi in the semifinals.

History was made in other categories too. Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan became the first Malaysians to medal in women’s doubles, while Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei became the first Malaysians to win mixed doubles gold. A huge roar went up at the medal ceremony when Gicquel/Delrue stepped on the podium to receive France’s first medal in a paired event.

Meanwhile, Akane Yamaguchi equalled Carolina Marin’s record of three World Championships gold in women’s singles.

Medal Spread

Canada would be among 10 countries winning medals – the medal spread followed recent patterns, and was equal with Tokyo 2022 and Huelva 2021. Quite significantly, there were no same-country finals. China had a shot at a sweep with representation in all five finals, but they could not replicate their feats of 1987, 2010 and 2011.