Jayce
Just one day after the Opening Ceremony of Paris 2024, badminton competition commenced at the Arena Porte de la Chapelle on Saturday, July 27, 2024. All five U.S. first-time Olympians made their debut on the court during Group Play.
In Mixed Doubles, Vinson Chiu and Jennie Gai began their campaign in Group D against China’s No. 2 seed Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping in the first match on Court 1. Despite the daunting task of facing the reigning Mixed Doubles Olympic champions in their first match, Chiu and Gai rose to the challenge, battling for 45 minutes against the Chinese pair. They showcased impressive rallies but ultimately fell 11-21, 14-21.
In Women’s Doubles, twins Annie Xu and Kerry Xu competed in Group B against China’s Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning. The No. 3 seeded Chinese pair posed a significant challenge for the U.S. twins, resulting in an 11-21 loss in the first game. However, they gained confidence in the second game, narrowing the gap despite a 14-21 defeat.
In Women’s Singles, Beiwen Zhang made her Olympic return with a match against Australia’s Tiffany Ho in Group K. The two-time Olympian started strong, sending the Australian diving for points and securing a 6-0 lead early in the first game. Zhang maintained her momentum, winning the first game 21-9 amid loud cheers for France playing on the adjacent court. She had an even more impressive start to the second game, displaying strong crosscourt smashes and leading 11-1 at the interval. Zhang won 21-4, at one point scoring 12 consecutive points.
In Men’s Doubles, Vinson Chiu and Joshua Yuan faced Denmark’s No. 2 seed Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in Group D. Chiu and Yuan kept pace early against the Danish pair but lost the first game 13-21. The two Americans rebounded early in the second game, leading at the interval with strong rallies supported by cheers and chants from the crowd.
