Four Canadian badminton athletes will look to seize the opportunity to achieve ambitious goals at the Paris 2024 Games. Made up of three returning Olympic athletes and one athlete who will be in his first Olympic Games, the The team has a wealth of experience and knows how to perform under pressure, as evidenced by the fact that its members have achieved solid results on the international stage.
Team Canada will be represented by Michelle Li (women’s singles), Brian Yang (men’s singles) as well as the duo of Nyl Yakura and Adam Dong (men’s doubles).
Li is Canada’s most successful female badminton player. A six-time gold medalist in singles at the Pan American Championships, she won silver just a few weeks ago in Guatemala. She became runner-up after returning to competition following knee surgery and a period of rehabilitation that kept her sidelined, including preventing her from participating in what would have been his fourth Pan American Games last fall.
Li will be making her fourth appearance at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, so she will be able to bring her leadership and experience to the team. At Tokyo 2020, Li posted a 2-0 record in the group stage to reach the round of 16, a result that matched the highest finish in Canadian women’s singles badminton history at an Olympic Games.
“It’s always a great feeling and an unforgettable experience to qualify for the Olympics. The qualification process itself is a big challenge, it’s very grueling to overcome a series of unexpected challenges like we do in a year like this, Li said. In my case, I had to deal with a injury and recovering from surgery, I’ve been through changes in coaching, type of training, and financial situation, and I’ve been through a lot of other things too. I’m really happy to have still been able to get through it and qualify for my fourth Olympic Games. »
In men’s singles, Team Canada will be represented by Yang, who will be competing at the Olympic Games for the second time. Aged just 22, he won gold at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, improving on the result he achieved in Lima in 2019, when he took silver. He is also enjoying an impressive medal streak at the Pan American Championships, having won gold in 2021 and 2023, silver in 2022 and bronze in 2024.
Last January, he became the first men’s singles player from the Pan American zone to reach the final of a BWF Super 500 tournament when he won silver at the Indonesia Masters.
The final ranking that Yang achieved at Tokyo 2020 did not satisfy him, having failed to make it beyond the group stage. He said he can’t wait to feed off the energy there will be at these post-COVID Games.
“I feel a lot of excitement, I can’t wait to live this experience and compete in a competition of this magnitude because even if the race to qualify was not as stressful as for Tokyo, I have the feeling of have a better chance of doing well, especially since the stands will be full and there will hopefully be a crazier atmosphere than Tokyo was able to offer due to the COVID measures,” Yang said.
Yakura and Dong will make up a formidable duo in men’s doubles. They won the gold medal at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, winning the hearts of spectators with their exuberant post-match celebrations. They recently secured silver at the 2024 Pan American Championships after capturing the title last year.
The two partners have had an interesting journey together, briefly forming a team in 2016 before Dong chose to retire in order to better provide for his young family. When establishing and operating the Lions Badminton Training Center in Burlington, Ontario, Yakura established a successful partnership with Jason Ho-Shue. It was with the latter that he took his first Olympic steps at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Yakura and Dong teamed up again towards the end of 2021, when Dong decided he wasn’t done with badminton. He is now preparing to compete in his first Olympic Games.
The badminton competition will be played at the Arena Porte de la Chapelle. The group stage will begin on July 27, then the elimination rounds will begin on August 1.
“I’m super happy that Adam and I have confirmed our qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” said Yakura. This will be my second time at the Olympics and it’s a fantastic opportunity that I’m really proud of. I’m grateful to have been able to have this experience alongside Adam and everyone who helped us on our journey. »
The badminton competition will be played at the Arena Porte de La Chapelle. The group stage will begin on July 27, then the elimination rounds will begin on August 1.
Team Canada badminton athletes at Paris 2024
Adam Dong (Burlington, ON) – Men’s Doubles
Michelle Li (Markham, ON) – Simple, femmes
Nyl Grows (Pickering, ON) – Doubles, men
Brian Yang (Richmond Hill, ON) – Singles, men
