Akane Yamaguchi Aims to Climb Back to Top of Badminton World in Paris

Two-time world badminton champion Akane Yamaguchi is hoping to add an Olympic gold medal to her trophy case in Paris and is off to a good start after a first-round victory (21-12, 21-10) over Myanmar's Thet Htar Thuzar on Saturday, July 27.

The 27-year-old Yamaguchi came up short in her initial shot at Olympic glory at the Tokyo 2020 Games, when she lost in the quarterfinals to India's PV Sindhu. Later in 2021, Yamaguchi claimed her first world crown and repeated the feat in 2022.

Major Success for Akane Yamaguchi at Asian Games

Yamaguchi, a Fukui Prefecture native, has been a constant presence on the badminton scene for years. She has won four medals at the Asian Games, including a team gold in 2019 in Wuhan, China.

"Rather than feeling nervous I'm actually even more excited because I am actually here," Yamaguchi said in a TV interview following her arrival in Paris on July 20. "It will be tough, but I don't want to look too far ahead."

Added Yamaguchi, "I think the most important thing is to take each game one at a time. I want to do my best one by one to win every match."

Yamaguchi, who had to settle for the bronze in singles at the 2023 world championships in Copenhagen, has seen her world ranking fall to No 6. To win the gold in France, she will likely have to beat world No 1 Se Young An of South Korea.

An claimed the gold at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, last fall after Yamaguchi injured her foot during the singles competition.

"It took about three and a half months to return," Yamaguchi told The Yomiuri Shimbun in an interview earlier this year. "It's the first time in my career that I've left the court for so long."

Though An is now the most prominent figure in women's badminton, Yamaguchi holds a 13-10 advantage over her in their 23 career singles meetings, including a three-set win (21-10, 19-21, 21-14) in their most recent match in the semifinals of the All-England Open in Birmingham back in March.

Yamaguchi will next play Canada's Michelle Li in a second-round match on Wednesday, July 31.

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Author: Jack Gallagher

The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.