China’s ace shuttler Li Shifeng has carved his name into history. The badminton player has won the men’s singles finals against Shi Yuqi at the All England Open Badminton Championships.
Li Shifeng won in two straight sets, 26-24 and 21-5, to win the gold medal in the all-Chinese final. Shifeng was elated with the win. In the post-match interview, he stated, “I am very excited. I don’t really have the words to express my feeling for the moment.”
He further added, “It is a huge payback for all the hard work I’ve put in. Although I’ve got the All England title, I would like to aim from more titles.”
In other news, South Korea’s An Se Young bagged the women’s title. An Se Young beat Chen Yu Fei of China 21-17 10-21 21-19 to bag another singles title. “I’m so tremendously happy,” said An, 21, who had knocked Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Tai Tzu Ying of Taiwan out in the semi-finals.
The All England event, with more than 155 matches and over 50 hours of badminton, contributes towards potential Olympics qualification, with rankings announced on April 30, deciding which players will go to the Paris Games in 2024.
