Victor Lai of Scarborough, Ontario has won the bronze medal in men’s singles at the World Badminton Championships for the second straight year. A year after placing third in Paris, France, Lai reached the podium at the 2026 World Badminton Championships in New Delhi, India.
Lai was seeded seventh, unlike last year when he was unseeded. He defeated Hyeok-jin Jeon of South Korea 21-12, 21-17 in the first round, Mark Shelley Alcala of the United States 21-7, 21-14 in the second round, the 13th seed Kean Yew Loh of Singapore 22-220, 21-18 in the third round, and Ramus Gemke of Denmark 21-19, 21-18 in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Lai was defeated by Alex Lanier of France by a score of 16-21, 21-13, 21-14. It was a minor upset as Lanier was the ninth seed. Lanier will now play Kodai Naraoka of Japan for the gold medal on Sunday. The other bronze medalist/semifinal loser was Tien-chen Chou of Chinese Taipei. Naraoka beat Chou 17-21, 21-11, 21-10.
Jeon’s most notable accomplishment was winning gold in men’s singles badminton at the 2015 Summer Universiade in Gwangju, South Korea. Lai beat a former world champion as Loh placed first in men’s singles at the 2021 World Men’s Badminton Championships in Huelva, Spain. The second straight world championship bronze medal for Lai will give him confidence as he prepares for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
