Jayce
Three years ago, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan stood on the podium as favorites for the gold but ended up with a second-place finish.
This time, with just a month to go before the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Jia Yifan was hospitalized with pneumonia. “I spent a whole week in fear and pain,” she said. “It’s hard to imagine how I got through it.”
However, neither pneumonia nor anything else could stop Jia Yifan and Chen Qingchen from completing the final step of their journey, correcting the mistake they made last time.
In the finals, they faced their young compatriots Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, who are likely to be the successors of the women’s singles champions in the coming years.
The first game was a perfect example of women’s doubles at its best and showcased the significant progress Chen and Jia had made in building their psychological fortitude, making them difficult to break. Just as Jia overcame her illness to prepare for the Olympics, she and Chen refused to give up even when they were down four game points in the first game, causing their compatriots to lose crucial momentum.
Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning played intensely, showcasing their strong backcourt play and leading 20-16, which could have given them the first game. At this point, Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan demonstrated their resilience. The top seeds scored six consecutive points, taking a commanding lead.
Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning continued to challenge until late in the second game, but Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan’s momentum was too strong to be stopped.
In the bronze medal match, Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida easily defeated Pearly Tan/Thinaah Muralitharan with a score of 21-11, 21-11.
“Last time, although we only got second place, we were content. Silver can only go to one person,” Jia Yifan said. “Of course, this time I got the gold medal, and compared to the last Olympics, I feel very calm today; back then, my emotions were more complicated.”
Jia Yifan went on to talk about the events during her hospitalization, which threatened her chance to compete in Paris.
“It’s unbelievable. A month ago, I was hospitalized, and this illness scared my compatriots. I had a high fever for four days and was diagnosed with white lung pneumonia.”
