Kuala Lumpur: The World No. 2 Danish men’s doubles pair, Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, have found themselves in a challenging situation following the 2024 Paris Olympics draw.
The Danes had played their way to a second seeds before the Olympic draw. They even participated in the 2024 Canada Open which was held in Calgary, Canada from July 2 to July 7, while many top pairs opted to stay home and prepare for the Olympics. Despite their impressive performance and securing the second seed before the draw, they were placed into the highly competitive Group D, now labeled as the “Group of Death.”
Astrup and Rasmussen, pre-seeded into Group D, face a tough path as the group features an additional pair due to a BWF miscalculation. This means they have to play an extra match, adding to their challenge. The group includes World No. 9 Liu Yu Chen and Ou Xuan Yi of China (Liu won the 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medal, partnering Li Junhui at that time), the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalists Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin of Taiwan, the 2021 World Champions Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi of Japan, and Vinson Chiu and Joshua Yuan of the USA, who are considered the weakest pair in the group.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s representatives, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, who secured a bronze medal in the last Olympics, received a more favorable draw in Group A. Ranked No. 5 globally, they will face the World No. 1 pair from China, Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, along with England’s Ben Lane and Sean Vendy (World No. 18), and Canada’s Adam Dong and Nyl Yakura (World No. 32).
Despite a 2-6 record against the Chinese pair, Chia and Soh have a 4-1 advantage over the English duo and are expected to handle the Canadian pair, increasing their chances of advancing to the quarterfinals if they perform well.
Only the top two pairs from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.
Here’s the Men’s Doubles Draw for Badminton at the 2024 Summer Olympics:
Group A
Liang Wei Keng / Wang Chang (CHN)
Aaron Chia / Soh Wooi Yik (MAS)
Ben Lane / Sean Vendy (GBR)
Adam Dong / Nyl Yakura (CAN)
Group B
Kang Min-hyuk / Seo Seung-jae (KOR)
Supak Jomkoh / Kittinupong Kedren (THA)
Christo Popov / Toma Junior Popov (FRA)
Ondřej Král / Adam Mendrek (CZE)
Group C
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy / Chirag Shetty (IND)
Fajar Alfian / Muhammad Rian Ardianto (INA)
Ronan Labar / Lucas Corvée (FRA)
Mark Lamsfu / Marvin Seidel (GER)
Group D
Kim Astrup / Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (DEN)
Takuro Hoki / Yugo Kobayashi (JPN)
Liu Yuchen / Ou Xuanyi (CHN)
Lee Yang / Wang Chi-lin (TPE)
Vinson Chiu / Joshua Yuan (USA)
