China win Sudirman Cup for 14th time: An Seyoung does her bit but no stopping Chinese all-round dominance
Korea is next best with 4 titles, now 10 fewer than China.
Before the tie began, China had the luxury of pulling off a surprise in women's singles, fielding world No 2 Wang Zhi Yi for fresher legs than Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei, who had featured in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Even though it didn't eventually pay off, Wang did have her moments in a straight-games defeat against An in what was a repeat of the sensational All England final earlier this year.
'Happy that I could win for the team,' An, who has only dropped 3 games in 25 matches in her perfect start to the year, told BWF. 'This is my fourth Sudirman Cup and finally I could win a match in the final. I was able to overcome the pressure. In a team event the pressure is different from an individual tournament.'
But elsewhere, China's dominance was well and truly ascertained. The opening mixed doubles tie was always going to be critical to the overall outcome and Seo Seungjae and Chae Yujung's spirited display ran out of steam against Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongpoing. In a thrilling match, the Koreans (reigning world champions but no longer a regular pair on the tour) took the second game but having played late on Saturday, they didn't have the legs in the end with Chae admitting to errors creeping in as she had to keep stretching herself.
The men's singles was an absolute no contest as expected with Jeon Hyeokjin managing to win only 10 points in the 21-5, 21-5 match against world No 1 Shi Yuqi. Korea would have fancied their chances in men's doubles with the red-hot pairing of Seo and Kim Won Ho but it was slated as match No 5 and China had the world's best women's doubles pair on their side. Liu Shengsu and Tan Ning were cruising towards the win when World No 3 Baek Hana and Lee Sohee threatened a late fightback in second game. But as Liu-Tan surged ahead from 16-16 to close the match out, they fell on the court while their teammates mobbed them. Gold, never in doubt.
Results: China 3-1 Korea
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Pole vault legend Duplantis named ‘Star Athlete' for World Athletics Ultimate Championship
Pole vault sensation Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis said he was excited to be part of the growth of athletics after the two-time Olympic champion was handed an ambassadorial role for next year's inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship. World Athletics announced last year it would hold the global championship as a grand conclusion to the 2026 season. It will then take place every two years. In a statement, World Athletics said Duplantis had been named 'Star Athlete' for the event. The governing body added that the pole vaulter would be among the 'key collaborators pursuing their cultural passions outside of athletics in music, fashion, art, and on-screen, who will promote the new global season-ending championship.' The event will take place in Budapest with a record $10 million in prize money on offer. Gold medallists will each receive $150,000 as part of what the sport's world governing body has described as the richest prize pot ever in the sport. Duplantis won his second world title in 2023 in Budapest. He also broke his own pole vault world record there for a 13th time on Tuesday, soaring 6.29 metres at the Hungarian Grand Prix. RELATED: Armand Duplantis sets 13th pole vault WR — All instances of Mondo breaking the world record The Swede said he was hoping to set a new world record during the Ultimate Championship. 'We're always looking for new ways to make sure that the spotlight shines on athletics and the Ultimate will light up Budapest,' the 25-year-old added. 'I have great memories of winning world gold two years ago and remember the incredible atmosphere inside the stadium that night. It would be a dream to break the world record in front of a packed crowd next year. 'This event is set to showcase our sport like never before and I can't wait to be a part of it.' The championship is scheduled to take place over three evenings next year from September 11 to September 13. Each session will last for less than three hours, in a bid to capture the attention of global television viewers. The programme will feature 26 individual events – 16 track and 10 field – and two relays, including the new mixed 4x100m.
Hans India
2 hours ago
- Hans India
Saurabh-Suruchi bags 10m air pistol mixed team bronze at Asian Shooting Championships
Shymkent (Kazakhstan): The Indian duo of Saurabh Chaudhary and rising star Suruchi Inder Singh pocketed the 10m air pistol mixed team bronze after beating Chinese Taipei in the Asian Shooting Championships here on Wednesday. Saurabh and Suruchi defeated the Taipei pair of Liu Heng-Yu and Hsieh Hsiang-Chen 17-9. Iran's Haniyeh Rostamiyan and Vahid Golkhandan won the other bronze medal, beating Thuy Trang Nguyen and Cong Minh Lai of Vietnam. South Korea bagged the gold medal against China. The Indians aggregated 578, with Suruchi scoring 292 and Saurabh regstering 286, in the qualification round to be placed fifth going into the eight-team medal round. With the 10m air pistol mixed team bronze, India's total medal tally in the senior category at the Asian Shooting Championship 2025 climbs to four. On Monday, Anmol Jain, Saurabh Chaudhary and Aditya Malra clinched silver in the men's 10m air pistol team event. Double Olympic-medallist Manu Bhaker had won in the women's 10m air pistol competition on Tuesday. Manu (583) also won a team bronze in women's air pistol alongside reigning Asian Games champ Palak (573) and Suruchi Phogat (574), both of whom missed out on the individual final by three and two points, respectively. Since Monday India has won an individual bronze and a team silver and a team bronze, in the 10m air pistol events across both the senior men and women categories. Overall, India has won six gold, five silver and three bronze medals from all competitions held so far. The Indian senior shooting squad for the Asian competition comprises 35 members competing for medals in 15 events. A total of 129 Indian shooters are also competing in the junior events.
United News of India
2 hours ago
- United News of India
Khelo India Water Sports Festival 2025: Top national, international athletes to vie for 24 gold medals
Srinagar, Aug 20 (UNI) The best national athletes in the country will vie for the 24 gold medals at stake in the inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Festival to be held at the iconic Dal Lake here. The three-day event will see more than 400 compete for the medals events- rowing, canoeing and kayaking. The Khelo India Water Sports Festival 2025 will be the first consolidated Open-age category championships where all 14 kayaking and canoeing events and the 10 rowing events are Olympic events. To add to the fun of the Water Games, there will be three demonstration events- water skiing, shikhara boat spring and dragon boat race. The KIWSF will see 36 states and Union Territories in action. Among them, all eyes will be on athletes from Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Kerala. 'Since Services will not take part in these Games as a team, it will be good to see how the states compete and perform. The course has been prepared keeping all international specifications in mind and we are all set to go,' said competition manager Bilquis Mir, a former World Cupper canoeist and an Olympic judge. The Khelo India Water Sports Festival is a new addition to the Khelo India calendar. In 2025, two new events have been added. The Khelo India Beach Games took place in Diu in May. As per the Khelo Bharat Niti, both the Water Games and Beach Games are aimed at promoting sports and attracting tourism. Suhani Meena, a water sports athlete from Madhya Pradesh, who will participate in rowing said she was elated at being in Kashmir. 'This is a great opportunity for water sports athletes since we get only a few opportunities throughout the year to participate in a national-level event. Now the Khelo India Water Sports Festival 2025 will give us a chance to excel,' she said. For kayaking and canoeing, the last nationals were held at Tehri (Uttarakhand) in November which were categorized as a qualifier. The top 15 in singles and doubles and the top eight fours will be participating in KIWSF. For rowing, the top eight from the nationals held in Bhopal in March this year will take part. There will be international flavor as well. Arjun Lal Jat, an Army rower who will represent Delhi, will be one of the main attractions. Jat, 28, has taken part in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won silver in the light-weight double sculls at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. 'This is my first Khelo India event and I will participate in men's single sculls. I expect each participating team to deliver their best. Khelo India is very well supported by the Government of India. Such events should happen more as it will provide a platform to the athletes of Jammu and Kashmir to represent India at the international level,' said Jat. The Water Games will see almost equal representation from men and women. Out of the 409 athletes competing for medals, 202 will be female. Madhya Pradesh (44), Haryana (37), Odisha (34) and Kerala (33) will have the largest contingent at KIWSF 2025. Gujarat, Puducherry and West Bengal will have the smallest teams. Nitish Chaudhary from Rajasthan, a two-time national silver medalist, said: 'For a water sports person like me, this climate and the facilities here are amazing. I am getting a chance to meet other sportspersons from different parts of the country and learning from their experiences.' Three gold medals- all in kayaking and canoeing will be decided on Day 1 on Thursday. All 10 rowing finals are slotted on the final day on August 3. The opening ceremony, expected to be attended by the Union Minister of State Srimati Raksha Khadse among other dignitaries of Jammu and Kashmir, will be held Thursday evening from 6 pm. UNI RKM
