The Paris 2024 Olympics witnessed a day of remarkable achievements and heartwarming moments in badminton on Friday. Chinese shuttler Huang Ya Qiong experienced an unforgettable day, clinching gold in the mixed doubles event and receiving a surprise marriage proposal.Huang, partnering with Zheng Si Wei, dominated the mixed doubles final, defeating the Korean pair Kim Won Ho and Jeong Na Eun with a decisive score of 21-8, 21-11. The victory marked Huang’s first Olympic gold, adding to her silver from Tokyo 2021.The day took an even more joyous turn when Huang’s teammate and boyfriend, Liu Yuchen, proposed to her at the Olympic venue. Liu, who had won silver in Tokyo three years ago, presented Huang with a bouquet and an engagement ring, much to the delight of the spectators. An emotional Huang accepted, saying, ‘Today I became an Olympic champion and got engaged. I think the ring looks great on my finger’.In the men’s singles event, India’s Lakshya Sen made history by becoming the first Indian male shuttler to reach the Olympic semi-finals. Sen defeated World No. 11 Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in a thrilling quarter-final match, coming back from a set down to win 19-21, 21-15, 21-12. Sen’s historic run has kept India’s badminton medal hopes alive, following earlier losses by PV Sindhu and the men’s doubles pair.As the badminton events continue, China leads the overall medal tally with 13 gold, 7 silver, and 7 bronze medals, while the United States, France, and Great Britain are tied for second place with 9 gold medals each.
Key points
- Chinese badminton player Huang Ya Qiong won gold in mixed doubles and got engaged at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
- Lakshya Sen became the first Indian male shuttler to reach an Olympic badminton semi-final.
- China leads the overall medal tally, with the US, France, and Great Britain tied for second.
Contradictions👾There are minor discrepancies in the reported scores of Lakshya Sen’s match against Chou Tien Chen, with some sources reporting 19-21, 21-15, 21-12 and others reporting 21-15, 21-12 after losing the first set 19-21.
