Delphine Delrue: France’s First Badminton Worlds Medal in Doubles

Delphine Delrue and Thom Gicquel won a bronze medal at the World Badminton Championships, in a mixed double, this Saturday, August 30 in Paris. (Screenshot the TV team)

This Saturday, August 30 is historic for French badminton. Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue won the very first French medal in a world badminton championship. The icing on the cake, these championships took place in Paris, at Adidas Arena, Porte de la Chapelle. If this medal is only in bronze, the feat is in gold to him for the French pair.

Their competition started in the best way on Wednesday, August 27 on Wednesday, August 27. The French easily qualified in the round of 16 by beating the Brazilian pair Farias/Lima (21-9, 21-15). Classified in the world, Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue, licensed at the Badminton Club Chambly Oise, had a lot to do the next round. In three sets, they managed to get rid of the Taiwanese Ye Hong Wei and Nicole Gonzales Chan (19-21, 21-14, 21-17). An already historical qualification: it is the first time that a pair of French mixed doubles qualified in the quarterfinals as a World Cup.

Defeat against the world’s fourth in half

As the exploits do not come alone, the Blues have managed to rise to the semi-finals by beating the Chinese pair Cheng/Zhang (21-19, 21-18), world twelfths, thus ensuring the bronze medal (no match for third place being planned).

This Saturday, August 30, Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue were opposed to the Malaysians Chen and Toh, the world’s fourth, in the semi-finals. In the first set, the French have defended themselves very well, returning several times equally, but finally losing 21-18. The second set was more to the advantage of Malaysians, despite an excellent defense of the French pair, which finally bowed in two sets (21-18, 21-16). Reducting the first world medal in double for France.

James Whitfield

James Whitfield is Archysport's racket sports and golf specialist, bringing a global perspective to tennis, badminton, and golf coverage. Based between London and Singapore, James has covered Grand Slam tournaments, BWF World Tour events, and major golf championships on five continents. His reporting combines on-the-ground access with deep knowledge of the technical and strategic elements that separate elite athletes from the rest of the field. James is fluent in English, French, and Mandarin, giving him unique access to athletes across the global tennis and badminton circuits.

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