China retained its status at the summit of Asian badminton by securing two gold, three silver, and three bronze medals at the conclusion of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday, September 29. The team edged past Indonesia—which finished with two gold, one silver, and three bronze medals—to lead the overall badminton medal table at the conclusion of the individual and team events.
The continental tournament delivered historic milestones for several nations, punctuated by long-awaited gold medal breakthroughs from South Korea and Indonesia, alongside a landmark podium finish for Singapore. While powerhouse delegations continued their traditional rivalry, the individual events showcased shifts in regional dominance across singles and doubles brackets.
Loh Kean Yew Secures Historic Silver for Singapore
Singaporean singles player Loh Kean Yew claimed a silver medal, marking a historic high for the country’s badminton contingent at the Asian Games. Prior to Loh’s runner-up finish, Singapore’s sole podium appearance in the sport’s history came in 2006, when the women’s team captured a bronze medal.
Loh survived a demanding draw that featured difficult early opponents. In his opening match, he faced eighth-seeded Lakshya Sen before defeating Indonesia’s Jonatan, a player whom Loh had previously lost to in 10 encounters.
Singles coach He Yincong praised Loh’s consistency throughout the week leading up to the final. “Loh’s performance throughout the entire week was very outstanding, right up until the final,” He told reporters. “He has been sharp and composed, but today he thought a bit too much in some situations and his performance didn’t reach the best state. If he could have been more decisive, perhaps there would have been a better display.”
The silver-medal match pitted Loh against Kunlavut Vitidsarn, where the Singaporean fell in straight sets. During the second game, Loh aggravated a previous abdominal injury while executing a smash. In the post-match press conference, he confirmed the recurrence of the issue and outlined a recovery timeline. “My abdominal muscle is a bit strained, which means I have to go back to the healing stage,” Loh said. “Over the past few months, I have worked hard to shake off injuries and recover from them, but now the injury has appeared again. I will take a good rest first and see how things go.”
South Korea Ends 24-Year Women’s Doubles Drought
South Korea’s Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na turned their silver medal from three years prior into gold by overcoming China’s Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning. The South Korean pair secured a 26-28, 21-18, 21-18 comeback victory, snapping a 24-year gold medal drought for South Korea in the Asian Games women’s doubles event. The nation’s previous title in the discipline was won in 2002 by Ra Kyung-min and Lee Kyung-won.
The grueling final match concluded with an injury scare when China’s Liu Shengshu, who entered the match with an existing right leg injury, appeared to suffer a left leg cramp at 18-18 in the deciding game. Liu collapsed to the floor at the final whistle as tournament medical staff rushed to the court. Following on-court treatment, she was able to stand and walk off under her own power.
Indonesia Claims First Men’s Doubles Title in Eight Years
Indonesia broke an eight-year gold medal drought in the men’s doubles tournament as Carnando and Martin captured the title. The Indonesian duo defeated newly crowned world champions Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang of China with a scoreline of 21-19, 13-21, 18-21.
Despite the defeat in the final, the silver medal marked China’s best result in the Asian Games men’s doubles category since the 1990 Beijing edition. Meanwhile, China maintained its dominance in the mixed doubles division, securing a fourth title as Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin claimed their first major Games gold together.
An Se-young Defends Women’s Singles Crown
South Korea’s An Se-young cemented her status at the top of the women’s singles rankings by defeating Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the final. Playing in front of a home crowd supporting the world number three, the world number one and defending champion secured a 21-17, 21-9 victory in 52 minutes.
The win made An the first female singles player in Asian Games history to successfully defend her title. Across both the individual and team competitions in Aichi-Nagoya, An played seven matches and remained undefeated, though her team fell short in the team final against Japan to claim silver.
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