Thailand’s Badminton Players Win BWF World Championship

Thailand’s badminton players Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai won their first world championship title on Sunday, beating their Japanese opponents in straight sets.

During the BWF World Championship in Huelva, Spain, the second-seed duo defeated the third-seed pair 21-13, 21-14 in 46 minutes.

After becoming the losing finalists in the 2019 campaign in Basel, Switzerland, they became champions for the first time in the world championship. It was the first time Thai mixed doubles shuttlers had won a world championship.

They entered the 2021 World Tour season with impressive form after winning all three events in Bali, Indonesia. Their Bali victories followed their Hylo Open triumph in Germany.

Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul, president of the Badminton Association of Thailand, commended them for their success. “This victory is a gift from the two to all Thai people,” she said.

Read: Thailand’s Dechapol and Sapsiree Make Badminton History

Meanwhile, 24-year-old Loh Kean Yew was crowned Singapore’s first world Badminton champion after winning the men’s singles title over India’s world No.14 Kidambi Srikanth in 43 exhilarating minutes at the BWF World Championship in Huelva, Spain.

Despite losing to Srikanth in both sets, Loh was able to claw his way back with exceptional reflexes and wily shot-making. Srikanth’s errors kept piling up, yet Loh kept his cool to beat the former world No.1.

As he roared in delight and fell to his knees in celebration, he marked the end of an unprecedented surge in form from October onward, when he defied his modest world No.22 ranking by beating six top-10 players, including two worlds No.1s, Japanese Kento Momota and Denmark’s reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen.