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On the evening of August 23, in the final event of the championship, Liang Weikeng, a 2024 graduate student from the School of Physical Education and Sports Science at SCNU, and his partner Wang Chang claimed their maiden World Championships men' s doubles gold medal at the 2026 BWF World Badminton Championships, which held in New Delhi. It also marks China' s first men' s doubles title at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) tournament in eight years.
Prior to this triumph, Liang had secured four world team titles: the 2023 Sudirman Cup, 2024 Thomas Cup, 2025 Sudirman Cup and 2026 Thomas Cup. This newly-acquired gold medal marks his first individual world championship and fifth world title overall.
The gold medal did not come easily. From the thrilling comeback at the beginning to the decisive final win, perseverance defined their championship run.
Seeded No.3 at the tournament, the "Liang-Wang" duo fought hard through every round. They survived a gruelling opening match against England that lasted 52 minutes. In the Round of 16, trailing 4-11 in the decider against Denmark' s former world-top pair, they fought point-by-point to pull off a dramatic comeback victory. Gaining momentum, they overwhelmed the host pair in the quarter-finals and defeated Chinese Taipei' s duo in the semifinals, marching into the final without dropping a single game.
Under pressure after China had to settle for silver in both mixed doubles and women’s doubles, the "Liang-Wang" duo delivered a top-flight performance. Maintaining smooth rotation and solid error control, they pulled away mid-game to take the opener 21–17 and fended off the opponents' counter-attack to seal the second game 21–16. The whole final lasted merely 35 minutes. "We gave it 100 percent from the very first point, keeping a high tempo and intensity all through the match," the pair commented after the final.
Apart from being Liang' s first individual world crown, the gold ended an eight-year title drought for China in men' s doubles at the World Championships. With silver medals from mixed and women' s doubles, the "Liang-Wang" duo helped China maintain its remarkable record of winning at least one gold medal at every BWF World Championships since 1983.
From the silver medal at the Paris Olympics to this world-championship triumph, Liang and Wang responded to outside doubts with persistent hard work. Liang explained that the "five-finger" gesture he made at the award ceremony carried two meanings: it honors China' s fifth men' s-doubles world-champion pair, and also marks his personal fifth world title. "I' m grateful to coaches, teammates and everyone for their support. I will stay grounded, keep training and keep fighting," Liang remarked. This hard-earned victory builds strong momentum for their pursuit of glory at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Source from SCNU News Center
Translated by Li Shiyao, Tang Ying
Proofread by Edwin Baak
Edited by Li Yiwei
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