NEW DELHI: The BWF World Championships 2026 came to a dramatic close in New Delhi on Sunday, with five champions crowned across men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles.The tournament, which was held from August 17 to 23, produced historic victories for France and South Korea, while China also finished with a title. France enjoyed a particularly memorable day as Thom Gicquel-Delphine Delrue and Alex Lanier won the mixed doubles and men’s singles crowns respectively.
Alex Lanier makes French badminton history
Alex Lanier saved his biggest performance for the final, defeating Japan’s Kodai Naraoka 21-11, 21-11 to become the first Frenchman to win the men’s singles world title. The ninth-seeded Lanier needed only around 50 minutes to complete a dominant victory over the 10th-seeded Naraoka.Lanier’s run to the title was far more challenging before the final. He came from behind to defeat defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn 19-21, 21-16, 21-16 in the quarter-finals and then overcame Canada’s Victor Lai 16-21, 21-13, 21-14 in the semi-finals.
An Se-young successfully defends women’s singles crown
South Korea’s An Se-young added another major title to her collection by defeating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-14 in the women’s singles final. The opening game was tightly contested, with Yamaguchi staying within touching distance for much of the contest. An Se-young, however, held her nerve in the closing stages to take the first game 21-17.The Korean then established greater control in the second game and closed out the match 21-14, securing her second World Championships women’s singles title.
Liang Weikeng-Wang Chang conquer men’s doubles
China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang captured the men’s doubles world title after defeating Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin 21-17, 21-16. The Chinese pair established control in the opening game and held off the Malaysian challenge to take it 21-17. They maintained their intensity in the second and completed the championship victory 21-16.Goh and Nur had enjoyed a strong campaign to reach the final, including victories over Chiu Hsiang Chieh-Wang Chi-Lin and a quarter-final appearance against South Korea’s Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae. However, Liang and Wang proved too consistent in the final.
Baek Ha-na-Lee So-hee end South Korea’s 31-year wait
South Korea’s Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee ended a 31-year wait for their country in women’s doubles by beating China’s top-seeded pair Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning 21-15, 21-15. The Korean duo, ranked third in the world, produced a controlled performance against the Chinese leaders and never allowed the final to turn into a deciding game.The victory gave South Korea its first women’s doubles World Championships title since 1995, when Gil Young-ah and Jang Hye-ouk won the crown.
Gicquel-Delrue deliver France’s first world title
France’s historic day in New Delhi began with Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue winning the mixed doubles title. The French pair stunned world No. 1 seeds Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping of China 22-20, 19-21, 21-15 in a fiercely contested final.Gicquel and Delrue had to survive a tight opening game before taking it 22-20. The Chinese pair responded in the second, winning 21-19 to force a decider, but the French duo held their nerve and pulled away in the third game to win 21-15.The triumph was historic as it gave France its first-ever BWF World Championships gold medal. Lanier then followed their achievement by winning the men’s singles title, making it a remarkable double for French badminton on the final day.
