For a badminton enthusiast, the Badminton World Championship is as important as the Cricket or FIFA World Cup for their respective sports. Badminton is one of the world’s favorite sports. What holds a passionate badminton follower that keeps them excited all the time are its tournaments and championships.
China has been consistently producing some great players and has been dominating the BWF World Championship and other major events. But do you know that badminton originated in India? It was first introduced in the 1850s, and it was played with a ball instead of a shuttlecock.
The hype of the sport has gained massive popularity, and it also got recognized at the Olympics in 1992. Read more about the BWF world championship’s significance and the great players who have impacted the sport’s history.
What is the Badminton World Championship?
The Badminton World Federation (BMF) organizes the most valuable badminton competition, the Badminton World Championship. In 1899, the All England Open Badminton Championship was the first major badminton tournament. The World Championships may be new compared to the history of the events in the sport, but the event has grown its popularity a lot and stands alongside the Olympics.
The Badminton World Championship was first played in the year 1997 after BWF sanctioned it. The event has evolved over 28 editions.
In the beginning, the Badminton World Championship was a triennial event. The debut of the event was in 1977, and the next two events were in 1980 and 1983. From the fourth event, it became a biennial event, which was in 1985. This went on until 2005, at the point where it was a yearly event. With the exception of the Olympic year, the BWF World Championship is now held annually. An exception was in 2021, when the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were postponed, and then the Badminton World Championships 2021 and Tokyo Olympics 2020 were held in the same year.
Formats
Badminton World Federation (BWF) brings together the best players around the world, competing for the World Championship title in various categories: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. The format is a knockout tournament, where players face off in matches played in best-of-three sets, with each set going to 21 points. Athletes must win 2 sets to win the match.
Legendary Players of the tournament!
1. Lin Dan (China)
When it comes to the chief performers of the game, Lin Dan tops the list. He is a former Chinese badminton player who is regarded as the greatest badminton player of all time. And there are several reasons for him being so-called. He has all nine major badminton titles: World Championships, Asian Games, Thomas Cup, World Cup, Sudirman Cup, Super Series Masters Finals, Olympic Games, All England Open, and Asian Championships.
Lin Dan is a two-time Olympic, five-time World, and six-time All-England champion. He also became popular in the BWF Badminton Hall of Fame in May 2023.
2. Lee Chong Wei (Malaysia)
The Malaysian-Chinese badminton player is one of the most famous and consistent badminton players in the world who started his career at the age of 11. He won three Olympic silver medals, in 2008, 2012, and 2016, becoming the most successful Olympic badminton player without a gold medal. He also won four Commonwealth Games gold medals and a record 46 Superseries titles. Lee Chong was known for his speed and agility, as well as his rivalry with Lin Dan, which was considered one of the greatest in sports history. For his great performance on the court, Lee earned the title of “Datuk” from the Malaysian People. He retired in 2019, after battling cancer and injuries.
3. Taufik Hidayat (Indonesia)
The most talented one on the list, the Indonesian shuttler has won 27 titles during his entire career. He won the Olympic gold medal in 2004 and the World Championship in 2005, becoming the first player to achieve both feats. He also won three Asian Championships and five Indonesian Open titles.
Taufik was famous for his backhand smash, which was considered one of the best shots in the history of the sport. He was also known for his rivalry with Lin Dan, which produced some of the most memorable matches in badminton. He retired in 2012, remaining an iconic figure for young players.
4. Kento Momota (Japan)
He is a Japanese badminton master who is popular for his skillful play style on the court. Coached by Yosuke Nakanishi, Kento Momoto began his professional career in 2011 by participating in the 2011 World Junior Championships. After the initial speed bumps in his career, Kento Momota always impressed his fans.
The player has bagged two Asian titles, two World Championships, and one All-England title. In light of these and many other titles, Kento Momoto was named as a player with “The most Badminton men’s singles titles in a season” in the Guinness Book of World Records. He won 11 titles in 2019 itself.
Indian Medallist at Badminton World Championship!
1. Saina Nehwal
She is an Indian professional shuttler who made her debut at 15 when she played and won the Asian Satellite Tournament hosted in New Delhi. Post that, the streak of winning never left Saina. She has given tough competition to the top-level players of the world, like Huaiwen Xu and Jiang Yanjiao, in the Badminton World Championship.
Nehwal won her first medal in 2015, becoming the first Indian woman to reach the top of the world ranking in women’s singles. She lost against Carolina Marin and took home a silver medal. For the first time, two Indian shuttlers got on the podium in the same edition at the 2017 World Championships. With PV Sindhu claiming silver, Saina Nehwal won bronze after reaching the semi-finals.
2. P.V. Sindhu
P.V. Sindhu is an outstanding female badminton player from India. Since making her debut in 2009, she became the first-ever Indian badminton player to win the championship when she won the Asian Junior Championship in 2012. Additionally, she entered the top 20 in the world rankings of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
She is the second woman in history to win five or more singles medals in the sport, winning five medals overall at the BWF World Championships. In women’s singles badminton, Sindhu became the first Indian woman and only the fourth player to win two medals at the same Olympic Games.
3. Prakash Padukone
There is no need to introduce the legendary legend Prakash Padukone! He has gained a lot of respect in the Indian badminton community for being one of the most well-known players. He was the first Indian to win a medal at the BWF World Championships, winning bronze in 1983.
The Indian badminton legend was also the first sportsperson to open an academy called the ‘Prakash Padukone Centre of Excellence,’ where the high-class facilities make it one of the sought-after destinations to learn badminton in India.
Conclusion
So, these are some of the legendary players, such as Lin Dan, Chen Long, Carolina Marin, and many others who have left their mark on the history of the Badminton World Championships. If this has excited you to be a player, don’t let that fire go away. Play and practice hard, and one day you may get to compete in the reputed Badminton World Championship. Go and get started now!
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