Paris Olympics badminton opener: The main national team successfully qualified, and the defending Olympic women's doubles champion suffered a black start
On July 27, 2024, the 33rd Summer Olympic Games officially kicked off in Paris, France. As one of the most watched sports events of the summer, the badminton competition kicked off first. Although it was only the opening match of the group stage, the participating teams were ready to fight for their Olympic championship dreams.
In this fierce "feather forest competition", the main players of the Chinese national feather performed well, won a good start, and easily advanced to the knockout round. However, there were some eye-catching upsets on the day, with some strong teams, including the reigning Olympic women's doubles champions, suffering a shocking start. What was the battle like on this day? Let's find out.
The main force of the national feather attacked and easily got off to a good start
As one of the most powerful badminton teams in the Olympic Games, China's national badminton team has naturally attracted much attention. In the first round of the group stage, the national feather generals showed excellent form and achieved good starts.
First up was the women's doubles pair Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan. As the top seeds in the Women's Doubles event at the Games, the pair have already gained a wealth of experience in international competitions. In the first round of the group stage, they faced strong opponents Chen Kang Lok/Tina. This game can be described as thrilling, the first two games of the two sides are evenly matched, and the game is difficult to solve. In the end, Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan relied on their rich experience and played well at critical moments, narrowly defeating their opponents 22:20 and winning with a total score of 2:0. This victory is undoubtedly a boost for the next knockout round.
In addition to Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan, the other national feather combinations also performed well. Women's Doubles pair Huang Dongping/Feng Yanzhe and Mixed Doubles pair He Bingjiao/Wang Chang and Leung Wai Keng also won comfortably to advance to the next round. In this way, the national feather won 5 consecutive victories in the first round of the group stage, injecting strong confidence into the subsequent competition.
However, the national team is not the only one who stands out. In the other group stage competitions, there were also some foreign players who also showed extraordinary strength. For example, Malaysia's Tan Tang Jie/Du Yi Wei, and Thailand's Dechapol/Sapsiri all won the first round of the group stage, laying a good foundation for the subsequent competition.
The reigning Olympic women's doubles champion got off to a bad start
Unlike the smooth start of the national feather generals, in another key matchup in the first round of the group stage, there was a big upset.
The highlight of the group stage is Indonesia's reigning Olympic doubles champions Rahayu/Ramadanti taking on Japan's Mayu Matsumoto/Wakana Nagahara. As the winners of the last Olympic Games, Rahayu/Ramadanti are undoubtedly the favourites in the women's doubles event. But who would have expected that in the first round of the group stage, they suffered from a black start.
Judging from the overall trend of the game, it is indeed an intractable battle. Japan's Mayu Matsumoto/Wakana Nagahara made a strong start with a narrow 24-22 win over their opponents with excellent skills and tactics and a steady performance at key moments. In the second game, Rahayu/Ramadanti made more mistakes, but Mayu Matsumoto/Wakana Nagahara fought more and more bravely, and finally won the next game 21:15 and won an unexpected victory with an overall score of 2:0.
The result of this match was undoubtedly a big surprise upset. As the reigning Olympic women's doubles champions, Rahayu/Ramadanti lost 0:2 in the first round of the group stage and missed out on a good start. Such a result not only dealt a heavy blow to the Indonesian badminton world, but also greatly increased the hopes of Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan, who were defeated by Rahayu/Ramadanti at the Tokyo Olympics.
For Rahayu/Ramadanti, the defeat was even worse. As the reigning Olympic women's doubles champions, they suffered a black start in the first round of the group stage, which undoubtedly cast a shadow on their Olympic journey. In the future, they will have to adjust their form and regain their confidence as soon as possible, otherwise it will be difficult to complete the feat of defending their title.
Strong players gather and fierce competition can be expected
Through the first round of the group stage, it is not difficult to find that the competition pattern of the badminton competition at this Paris Olympics is particularly fierce. Not only are there strong national players actively competing for the gold medal, but some foreign players have also shown extraordinary potential, adding more visibility to the whole event.
First of all, it must be affirmed that the Chinese national badminton is undoubtedly the biggest favorite to win the badminton event in this Olympic Games. In the first round of the group stage, many of their main combinations got off to a good start, fully demonstrating their strong strength and stable form. The players have performed well, injecting strong confidence into the subsequent knockout rounds. However, the national feather is not dominant, and players from other countries and regions are also strong and should not be underestimated.
For example, in the first round of the group stage, Malaysia's Tan Tang Jie/Du Yiwei, and Thailand's Dechapol/Sasiri all won victories, fully demonstrating the excellent strength of foreign players. In Women's Doubles, Japan's Mayu Matsumoto/Wakana Nagahara won an impressive victory over reigning Olympic champions Rahayu/Ramadanti, which was undoubtedly a huge upset.
These results show that the competitive landscape of badminton at this Olympic Games has changed a lot. With strong players coming together, it is bound to bring us more exciting matches and unexpected results. For the contestants, whether they are the main force of China's national feather or the dark horses of other countries, they must always maintain their best condition in such a high-intensity competition, otherwise they may encounter a big reversal at any time.
Let's look forward to the next competitions, and I believe that no matter what the result is, this wonderful "Feather Forest Competition" will definitely provide us with a visual feast, let us appreciate the charm of this summer sports event in advance.