China’s badminton player Huang Ya Qiong had a golden and diamond-studded day at the Olympics. Huang, alongside her partner Zheng Siwei, defeated South Korea’s Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun with scores of 21-8, 21-11 in mixed doubles, concluding an unbeaten run in Paris. Following the victory, Huang accepted a wedding proposal from her teammate Li Yuchen, as she proudly wore her gold medal.
“I was very surprised by the proposal as I had been focusing on the game preparation,” Huang shared through an interpreter. “Today, becoming an Olympic champion and receiving a proposal is beyond my expectations.”
Huang and Zheng, who were silver medalists at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, secured the top seed in the quarterfinals with a perfect 3-0 record in group play. They completed the tournament with a flawless 6-0 record, not dropping a single game.
Zheng reflected on their experience, saying that he had proposed three years ago after their final loss and believes this time was much more joyful for Huang. “I think it must be happier for her,” he said. “Previously, it was solely about my proposal, but this time, it feels like a double celebration.”
In the bronze-medal match, Japan’s Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino triumphed over South Korea’s Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jung with scores of 21-13, 22-20. Despite securing another Olympic bronze, which they also won three years ago on home soil, they expressed disappointment over not clinching the gold. “The bronze medal is not the best,” said Yuta. “I wanted the gold, but this is better than nothing.”
China continues to dominate mixed doubles badminton, having won gold at consecutive Olympics and five out of the eight times since it became a medal event in 1996 in Atlanta. Wang Yilyu retired after winning gold in Tokyo with Huang Dong Ping, who partnered with Feng Yan Zhe in Paris and was defeated by Zheng and Huang in the quarterfinals.
Additionally, China is assured of both the gold and silver medals in women’s doubles badminton, as Chen Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan will compete against Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning in an all-China final on Saturday.