Tokyo: China’s World No. 3 mixed doubles pair, Wang Yi Lyu/Huang Dong Ping have been playing in the shadow of compatriots – World No. 1 Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong since they first met in the 2017 Hong Kong Open semi-final.
They were the other top mixed doubles players in the world who would give Zheng/Huang fits in many tournaments, only to fall short again and again. Wang/Huang only earned a 2-13 head-to-head record against Zheng/Huang before Friday’s 2020 Tokyo Olympics mixed doubles final.
After Friday, Wang Yi Lyu/Huang Dong Ping were seemingly destined for the Badminton Hall of Fame as they beat Zheng/Huang 21-17, 17-21, 21-19 to win the most important match of their professional career in the Olympic final.
“Thank you to my partner Wang Yi Lyu, the Chinese badminton team, and China’s Olympics delegation!
There is still a long way to go in the future, and there are many challenges to face. This gold medal will always inspire me: move forward steadily and stay focused. Please believe that we have a bright future ahead of us!” said Huang Dong Ping on her social media account after the victory.
“Who is the happiest person in the world? People who have goals and can achieve them. The Olympics is my goal. It is the happiest and proudest moment ever to be able to win this Olympic mixed doubles gold medal with Huang Dongping. Thanks for her tolerance in training and off the court. We are now an Olympic gold medal pair!” Wang Yi Lyu posted on his social media account after the match.
In the bronze medal competition, World No. 5 Yuta Watanabe/Arisa Higashino won the only Olympic medal for the Japanese team at the Tokyo Olympics by defeating World No. 13 Tang Chun Man/Tse Ying Suet of Hong Kong 21-17, 23-21.
Meanwhile, the Japanese badminton team was considered the biggest loser at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as it did not live up to the expectations of winning multiple gold medals at home. Japan’s women’s singles players – World No. 3 Nozomi Okuhara, and World No. 5 Akane Yamaguchi bowed out from the Olympics on Friday after losing to He Bing Jiao of China 21-13, 13-21, 14-21 and PV Sindhu of India 13-21, 20-22 respectively on Friday.
World No. 2 Chen Yufei of China will play against compatriot World No. 9 He Bingjiao in the women’s singles semi-final while World No. 1 Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan will take on PV Sindhu of India in another semi-final on Saturday.
The women’s doubles competition will also take place on Saturday with the following matches:
Top Half:
Greysia Polii/Apriyani Rahayu (INA) vs. Lee So-hee/Shin Seung-chan (KOR)
Bottom Half:
Kim So-Yeong/Kong Hee-Yong (KOR) vs. Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan (CHN)
