Alex Lanier becomes first French singles badminton world champion

Alex Lanier on Saturday became the first singles badminton player from France to clinch the world championship title, moments after the French took gold in the mixed doubles.

In the women’s final, South Korea’s world No 1 An Se-young beat Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-14 for her second world crown.

But it was history for French badminton, after the 21-year-old Lanier beat Japan’s Kodai Naraoka 21-11, 21-11 in a lopsided men’s final that took 50 minutes at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.

World No 10 Lanier, who knocked out Hong Kong’s Angus Ng Ka-long in the last 16, smashed the winner as he jumped in delight and hugged his coach before standing on the podium for his gold medal.

“I think definitely today was a day for French badminton and it was a day for the whole staff also,” Lanier said after the triumph.

“Today it was the day for France, and when the mixed won, everyone was happy, and I just thought that I needed to give them a double smile, double moments, and I needed to make history again.”