Paris Olympics: China’s Zheng/Huang Wins Badminton Mixed Doubles Gold

Paris: Chinese duo Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong claimed the badminton mixed doubles gold medal at the Paris Olympics after beating South Korea’s Kim Won-ho/Jeong Na-eun in the final on Friday. Zheng and Huang, silver medalists at the Tokyo Olympics, won the gold medal match 21-8, 21-11.

Earlier on Friday, Japan’s Yuta Watanabe and Arisa Higashino won the bronze medal by defeating South Korea’s Seo Seung-jae and Chae Yu-jung 21-13, 22-20, reports Xinhua.

Meanwhile, in the women’s singles quarterfinals, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi, the fifth seed here, will take on South Korea’s An Se Young while another former World Champion Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand will meet Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, the seventh seed.

China’s He Bing Jiao, who ousted India’s PV Sindhu in the pre-quarterfinals and ended her dream of winning a medal in the third successive Olympic Games, will take on her compatriot and second seed Chen Yu Fei. The 2016 Olympic gold medallist Carolina Marin of Spain, the fourth seed, will face eighth seed, Aya Ohori of Japan for a place in the semifinals.

China are assured of a medal in the women’s doubles as two pairs from the country will fight for a place in the final.

Top seeds Chen Quing Chen and Jia Yi Fan will meet their compatriots and third seeds Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning on Saturday while in the other women’s doubles encounter, Japan’s fourth seed Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida, the fourth seeds, will face Malaysia’s Tan Pearly and Thinaah Muralitharan, the fourth-seeded team in the Paris Olympics.

(IANS)