Asian Games" Fang Zhenyu/Pu Guiyu won bronze in men's doubles badminton and shared what Minister Li Yang said to them

Fang Zhenyu (right) and Pu Guiyu. (Provided by the Athletic Department)

[Reporter Nian Miaoyun/Comprehensive Report] The badminton competition of the 2026 Asian Para Games in Aimagoya took place today. After 3 fierce battles in the standing group SU5 level Taiwan men's team Zhenyu and Pu Guiyu, they finally lost 1:2 to Thailand's powerful rivals Pricha Somsiri/Nattaphon Thaweesap and received the bronze medal. The two have been on the podium for two consecutive Asian Games, and also won the first medal for the badminton team of this delegation.

What’s interesting is that the two of them had a dramatic “double battle in one day” today. They had just faced off against each other in the men's singles field in the morning. Fang Zhenyu advanced to the top four with a straight-line win, and immediately started playing in the doubles match in the afternoon. However, for the two of them, they had long been accustomed to the situation of fighting for every point as a team in the previous game, and then having to face each other across the net in singles. The rapid switching of roles has become a daily routine, and the adjustment of each other's mentality is quite natural, without too many complications.

Talking about the fierce men's doubles battle in the afternoon, Fang Zhenyu said frankly after the game that he knew before the game that the Thai team was very strong in doubles events. "The most regrettable thing is that they did not grasp the key points in the second half of the first game. The serve and return were not strong enough, and they played a bit passively, which resulted in many details not being handled well." Although the second game withstood the pressure of falling behind and managed to equalize, the overall momentum of the opponent in the decisive game was still slightly better.

Pu Guiyu, who is the main offensive force in the backcourt, said that the Thai team usually has a very solid amount of special training and tacit understanding in doubles, and is relatively mature in doubles movement concepts and tactical execution. "We did not successfully open up the ball in the front, and our play was relatively limited. After opening the ball in the back, although the offensive and defensive rhythm was slightly restored, it is a pity that we still could not withstand a few key points. It is a great pity."

Fang Zhenyu (left) and Pu Guiyu. (Provided by the Athletic Department)

Winning the bronze medal again equaled the result of the previous year. Both of them had originally set to go to a higher level, but they could not hide their disappointment when they failed to upgrade the quality of their medals. Fang Zhenyu said that the team did a thorough research before the game and also formulated a tactical strategy with the coach. Unfortunately, the details of the ball in hand were not handled delicately enough, and the points that should be scored were not steadily collected.

Pu Guiyu said frankly, "This time overall I was very nervous. I put too much invisible pressure on myself, which made me unable to relax my body and movements on the court. It's really a pity that my overall performance did not reach the expected level." Although he felt regretful, after experiencing the high tension of the competition, he also saw clearly the areas that needed continuous correction.

After the game, Sports Minister Li Yang also went backstage to express condolences to the two players. As a senior Olympic doubles gold medalist, Li Yang did not put excessive pressure on the players. Fang Zhenyu revealed that Li Yang specially said to them "Thank you for your hard work" and warmly encouraged them to keep working hard.

After the men's doubles competition, Fang Zhenyu immediately turned his attention to tomorrow's men's singles top four match, striving for individual singles medals. Talking about the next mental adjustment, Fang Zhenyu said, "Of course I hope to break through the previous results, but what I hope most tomorrow is to enjoy the game and give full play to the adjustments made in the past few days and my own strengths. This is more important than simply thinking about breaking through the results. I believe that as long as we focus on every ball, everything will fall into place."

Fang Zhenyu (front), Pu Guiyu. (Provided by the Athletic Department)