With the end of the BWF World Tour Finals, the 2023 year of the Chinese badminton team has officially "finished". When the five (paired) national feather players who participated in the finals walked out of the mixed mining area to "clock in and get off work", the journey of 2024 was in front of them.
As the last major event of this year's international badminton competition, the BWF Year-end Finals gathered the eight players (pairs) with the highest points in each individual badminton event in the 2023 season, with a total of 10 (pairs) of national badminton players participating in the full quota, and finally five (pairs) of players entered the finals, winning 2 golds and 3 silvers. In addition to the mixed doubles gold and silver medals in advance, the other two silver medals came in the men's singles and men's doubles. At a time when the national feather men's team was not in a good place, these two silver medals were not easy to win.
The leader of the men's singles is still up in the air
Shi Yuqi is Guoyu's last "worker" to get off work this year. After "slaying the dragon" in the first round of the group stage, Shi Yuqi failed to surprise in tonight's men's singles final. Although he lost to Axelsen in two games, Shi Yuqi was in a good mood, "It has been a success to win in the group stage, and Axelsen is fully prepared in the final."
After Lin Dan and Chen Long, Axelsen in the Paris Olympic cycle has the potential to dominate one side, and there is almost no super-first-class master who can shake its hegemony. Shi Yuqi was able to stand out from Group A of the "Group of Death", break into the semi-finals with the top spot in the group, and reach the men's singles final of the finals again after five years, which has exceeded the expectations of the outside world. The 27-year-old Shi Yuqi no longer wants to recall the scene of winning the championship in Guangzhou in 2018, and answered this question perfunctorily with a smile, "It's too long, just remember (it's the same) red field, and I can't remember anything else."
In 2019, when he was at his peak, he was seriously injured, went through three surgeries before returning to the game, and in 2021, he was banned for a year after the Thomas Cup was withdrawn, until the 2022 World Championships were reactivated, Shi Yuqi has experienced multiple mental and physical trials for more than five years. Some people say that he "works in the Buddhist department", some people say that he can't afford the heavy responsibility of the first brother of Guoyu, and Shi Yuqi has been surrounded by doubts for a long time.
Shi Yuqi commented on his 2023 as follows: "I didn't play well in the first half of the year, and I had too many worries. In the second half of the year, there was a breakthrough in psychology, and I believe everyone can see the self-confidence and dedication on the field. After losing to post-00 teammate Li Shifeng in the finals of the All England Open and Hangzhou Asian Games, Shi Yuqi's state has changed, from a little twisted to a release, and he has attracted a lot of fans because of his good singing. But it must also be admitted that with Shi Yuqi's current mentality and strength, more progress is needed to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the national feather men's singles leader.
Correspondingly, Li Shifeng, who has been refreshing his highest personal ranking this year. At present, he has surpassed Shi Yuqi to rank third in the world. In this finals, the slow-burning Li Shifeng lost in the first round of the group stage, resulting in him finally missing out of the group with a goal difference. Li Shifeng admitted that he has been in the doldrums since the Hangzhou Asian Games, but this time the group stage consecutive victories against Kunlavut and Jonatan gave him confidence. For the youngster, it's just getting started, and he needs more crucial wins to prove he does have what it takes to be the world's No. 3 in men's singles.
In the short term, it is still difficult to answer the question of who is the single brother of Guoyu and Shi Yuqi.
The old and new Men's Doubles pairs have their own challenges
The pattern of the old and the new is also presented in the national feather men's doubles event: the young "Liang Wang" is still immature, and the veteran "Tuou" has his own difficult problems.
In the final, he won 6 points in a row and lost 6 points in a row, resulting in a total loss, and "King Liang" missed the championship. Leung Wai Keng said after the game, "I haven't adjusted it yet". Playing "up" has always been the characteristic and weakness of this post-00s pair. The tall and thin Wang Chang guarded the first half of the game, and the heavy artillery Leung Wai Keng marked the defense in the backcourt, but they were sometimes prone to drill the horns of the bull in the game, which is the so-called "top". The 22-year-old Wang Chang has world-class strength in front of the net and often fights with opponents in front of the net, while the 23-year-old Leung Wai Hang also has the urge to pull over when his opponent is exerting strength.
The audience watched the "Liang Wang" match to play the "heartbeat", which was seen in the semi-final against the Indonesian pair of Alfian/Ardianto. Facing the former world No. 1 "Double A" combination, the current world No. 1 "Liang Wang" took the next game, but they suddenly lost power in the second game and were equalized by their opponents, just when the audience thought they were about to be reversed by the Indonesian pair, "Liang Wang" unexpectedly won the tiebreaker. After the game, Wang Chang responded quippedly: "It's fun to have a little psychological fluctuation, and it's exciting to watch the game on the spot." ”
The Liang Wang, who have been paired since the beginning of last year, have won four races this year and topped the world number one at the end of October, but they also seem to feel a little "unworthy". Wang Chang said: "In fact, there are still many things we need to improve, and everyone can see it. "Youthful, strong-blooded, and lacking stability...... Perhaps the runner-up in the finals is the best spur for the two of them, and how they learn to adjust their emotions in key matches will determine the ceiling of "King Liang".
The national feather men's doubles has both rookies and veterans. The duo of 28-year-old Liu Yuchen and 29-year-old Ou Xuanyi have experienced highs and lows in 2023. In May, the Sudirman Cup semi-finals turned the tide in the past, and the "Tuou" pair saved four match points to defeat Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi to help the national team advance to the final of the Sudirman Cup. But it's also their highest point for 2023, and the pair has been in a slump ever since. As the champions of the 2022 Finals, Liu Yuchen/Ou Xuanyi did not finally qualify for the 2023 Finals (the top eight in points this year) until last month, and stopped in the semi-finals in the finals.
Liu Yuchen, who has been fighting for two Olympic cycles, is plagued by old diseases and sometimes cannot walk on straight legs, but his goal is to fight for more points at the Paris Olympics and strive to stand on the Olympic stage again. The veterans have competed in 22 races this year, even more than "The King". "It's hard work, hopefully next year will be easier. Liu Yuchen summed up 2023 with the word "hard work", "In this year, we are getting better and better." ”
Whether it's ups and downs or ups and downs, the big boys of the national feather show their AB side - they are improving, but they are still lacking in the fire. In the 2024 Olympic year, will they be able to fulfill their New Year's resolutions when they are a year older?