China Ends Eight-Year Drought with Badminton Doubles Title
China’s badminton duo Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang claimed the men’s doubles title at the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi on Sunday, defeating Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik 21-17, 21-16 in the final. The victory marks China’s first men’s doubles world championship in eight years and the first world title for the pairing known as the “Liang Wang” combination, according to Xinhua News.
A Historic Win for Chinese Badminton
The straight-games victory in 35 minutes secured China’s sole gold medal at the tournament, which concluded with China collecting one gold, two silver, and three bronze medals overall. The triumph was particularly significant given that men’s doubles has historically been China’s weakest discipline in badminton, as Sportstar noted in its full medal breakdown.
China’s previous men’s doubles world title came in 2018, when Li Junhui and Liu Yuchen triumphed in Nanjing. Before that, the legendary “Fengyun” combination of Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng dominated the event from 2006 to 2012, winning four world titles and Olympic gold in London.
The “Liang Wang” pair, both 26 years old, began partnering in 2022 and rose from a world ranking of approximately 400 to world No. 1 in just two years. They won silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics, losing to Chinese Taipei’s Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, as detailed in Jiefang Daily’s profile of the duo’s rapid ascent.
The Road to the Final
The Chinese pair’s tournament journey showcased their resilience and attacking prowess. After a comeback win in the round of 32, they defeated the 16th seed in the round of 16, the fifth seed in the quarterfinal, and Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan of Chinese Taipei 21-18, 21-14 in the semifinal, as CCTV Sports reported.
In the final, the “Liang Wang” pair extended their winning streak over Chia and Soh to four consecutive matches. Wang Chang’s tight net play and Liang Weikeng’s powerful rear-court smashes proved too much for the Malaysian duo, who had won the 2022 world title. The pair maintained control for most of the match, keeping errors low and dictating the tempo throughout.
“Both players performed well in every aspect of this match,” the pair said after the final, according to Xinhua. “From the first point, we gave 100% commitment, maintaining excellent speed and attacking power throughout.”
The BWF’s official result post summed up the performance with the phrase “every shot hit the ground with weight,” as Trending on Weibo reported.
A Tournament of Firsts
The 2026 World Championships, the 30th edition of the event held at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, proved historic on multiple fronts. France won its first-ever World Championship gold medals, with Alex Lanier dominating the men’s singles final and Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue taking the mixed doubles title. South Korea swept the women’s events, with An Se-young claiming her second world crown and Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee winning the women’s doubles, ending a 31-year drought for Korea in that event, as China.org.cn reported.
The tournament also marked the end of an era: this was the final World Championships played under the traditional 3-game-21-point scoring system. Beginning in 2027, BWF events will adopt a 3-game-15-point format.
What This Means Going Forward
The title cements Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang as the standard-bearers of Chinese men’s doubles heading into the next world championship cycle. After a seven-month title drought, the pair has now delivered on the promise they showed at the Paris Olympics, where they fell just short of gold.
For Chinese badminton, the victory signals a resurgence in a discipline that has long been considered the team’s Achilles’ heel. With the scoring system set to change next year, the “Liang Wang” pair’s blend of explosive attack and precise net play positions them well to adapt and remain at the forefront of the sport’s men’s doubles landscape.
As the pair’s performance in New Delhi demonstrated, they are no longer the promising duo who might break through — they are the pair everyone else in the draw now measures themselves against.