China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang secured a silver medal in the men’s doubles badminton event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, marking a significant achievement for the nation. This was the first time in 36 years that a Chinese pair reached the final in this category, a feat last accomplished by Li Yongbo and Tian Bingyi, who won gold at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.
Liang and Wang, who came into the tournament as world champions after their victory at the World Championships in August, faced Indonesia’s Daniel Marthin and Leo Rolly Carnando in the final. Despite winning the opening game 21-19, the Chinese duo could not hold their lead. The Indonesian pair rallied to win the second game 21-13 and clinched the gold medal by taking the deciding game 21-18.
Throughout the competition, Liang and Wang had shown their prowess by defeating Indonesian opponents in both the Asian Games men’s team final and the men’s doubles semifinal. However, the final saw Marthin and Carnando turning the tables on the Chinese champions.
Wang expressed their determination to continue striving for gold in future major competitions, despite the setback in the final match. The silver medal adds to China’s overall success in the badminton events at the Asian Games, where the nation also claimed gold medals in the women’s team event and mixed doubles, along with silver medals in the men’s team and women’s doubles events.