Kuala Lumpur: The Badminton World Federation (BWF) released the world rankings for the 24th week of 2024 on Tuesday, with China’s Shi Yuqi ranking World No. 1 in men’s singles. This is the first time Shi has topped the rankings in his career, which also securing the top seed position for the men’s singles at the Paris Olympics. This achievement also marks the return of China’s men’s singles to the World No. 1 position after 8-year.
In this week’s world rankings, Shi Yuqi surpassed Denmark’s star Viktor Axelsen with 102,415 points to become the World’s No. 1 in men’s singles. The last Chinese men’s singles player to hold the World No. 1 spot was Chen Long, who was then overtaken by Malaysia’s badminton legend Lee Chong Wei in 2016.
This season, Shi Yuqi has been in exceptional form, winning the championships at the India, France, and Singapore Opens. Just last week, Shi also won the Indonesia Open. Shi has a record of 35 wins and 3 losses in the eight international competitions he participated in 2024.
Shi Yuqi told Chinese media that being No. 1 in the world is a small milestone, and what’s more important is the upcoming Paris Olympics. He aims to remain focused on the competition to pursue his dream of becoming an Olympic champion.
With Shi Yuqi reaching the top, Tokyo Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen ended his streak of 132 consecutive weeks as the World’s No. 1.
With just over a month until the opening of the Paris Olympics, both Axelsen and Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie, currently ranked third in the world, are formidable opponents. Shi Yuqi admitted that everyone dreams of winning the Olympic gold, and he is no exception. “Putting aside being No. 1 in the world, I still want to focus on doing my best,” said Shi.
In 2014, 18-year-old Shi Yuqi won the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games gold medal, and his BWF world ranking once reached No. 2. However, after 2018, his performance fluctuated due to injuries and suspension controversies. Shi Yuqi made a comeback in 2022 and steadily improved, winning multiple championships this year and leading the Chinese men’s team to victory as the captain in the Thomas Cup, achieving a perfect 6-0 record.
Apart from men’s singles, the Chinese team also ranks World No. 1 in men’s doubles (Liang Weikeng/Wang Chang), women’s doubles (Chen Qingchen/Jia Yifan), and mixed doubles (Zheng Siwei/Huang Yaqiong). In women’s singles, Tokyo Olympic champion Chen Yufei ranks second in the world, while South Korea’s rising star An Se-Young holds the top spot.
