Sprint Begins

Three months – that’s the time left for Olympic hopefuls to cement their place for Paris 2024.

And while the qualification period has been on since 1 May 2023, the players’ chances will hinge on how well they hold up under the increased pressure and demands of the last remaining events, with other contenders to the same spots breathing down their necks. The qualification clock will stop ticking on 28 April 2024, with the Finnish International (Future Series) marking its end.

For the elite players on the HSBC BWF World Tour, January and March offer several opportunities to build their ranking points.

January had a Super 1000 (PETRONAS Malaysia Open), a Super 750 (YONEX SUNRISE India Open), a Super 500 (DAIHATSU Indonesia Masters) and a Super 300 (PRINCESS SIRIVANNAVARI Thailand Masters).

February is thin on World Tour tournaments, with continental team championships (and individual championships in Africa and Oceania) taking centre stage. The tour then shifts to Europe for the YONEX German Open 2024 late in the month, setting up six straight weeks of back-to-back tournaments.

The YONEX French Open 2024 (Super 750) – test event for Paris 2024 – is followed by the Orleans Masters 2024 (Super 300), YONEX All England Open 2024 (Super 1000), YONEX Swiss Open 2024 (Super 300), and the Madrid Spain Masters 2024 (Super 300).

The home stretch for the race climaxes in April, with the last remaining spots for Asia, Europe and Pan Am likely to be decided at the respective individual continental championships.

THE FRONTRUNNERS

The most dominant players of recent years – Viktor Axelsen in men’s singles, An Se Young in women’s singles, Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan in women’s doubles and Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong in mixed doubles continued to pull away from the rest of the opposition, with big leads at the top of the Race to Paris rankings.

And while men’s doubles continues to be the most competitive of the five categories, Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang’s form at the end of 2023 meant they shot ahead of the pack by over 5,000 points.

An sits comfortably at the top of standings.

TIGHT RACES

Then there’s the jostling among highly-ranked teammates, given a National Olympic Committee can have only two players/pairs if both are ranked in the top 16 of singles or top eight of doubles in the Race to Paris.

Chou Tien Chen, for instance, will be aware his compatriot Lin Chun-Yi is just four ranking places away. Before his PRINCESS SIRIVANNAVARI Thailand Masters 2024 success, Chou had endured a prolonged spell of lean form, while Lin has been getting better and better, starting the year brilliantly with a semifinal at the Malaysia Open.

Other tight races between compatriots are likely to feature Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia (No.10) and Ng Tze Yong (No.15), Toma Junior Popov (No.24) and Christo Popov (No.26), and India’s Lakshya Sen (No.19) and Kidambi Srikanth (No.25) for the second spot behind HS Prannoy.

In women’s singles, China’s second spot could be a photo-finish between He Bing Jiao (No.6) and Han Yue (No.8), while Thailand’s Supanida Katethong (No.16) and Pornpawee Chochuwong (No.17) are neck-and-neck at the moment.

Lee and Ng could both qualify for Malaysia.

DOUBLES RACES

Women’s doubles will see a few heated races.

Young sensations Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning (No.3) have a thin lead over Zhang Shu Xian/Zheng Yu (No.6); Japan’s Mayu Matsumoto/Wakana Nagahara (No.7) have leapfrogged Yuki Fukushima/Sayaka Hirota, who haven’t played since early December due to injury.

Lower down, it will be interesting to see if Canada’s Catherine Choi/Josephine Wu (No.33) can vault past USA’s Annie Xu/Kerry Xu (No.29) for Pan Am’s continental spot. In each doubles, at least one pair from each of the five Continental Confederations are guaranteed a place.

Wu is also on track in mixed doubles with Ty Alexander Lindeman; at No.32 they are close behind USA’s Vinson Chiu/Jennie Gai (No.30).

At the top of the rankings, Korea’s second pair Kim Won Ho/Jeong Na Eun will be aware they are on the precipice, as a slip beyond the top eight will be fatal.

Rinov Rivaldy/Pitha Haningtyas Mentari (No.15) and Dejan Ferdinansyah/Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja (No.21) are not far separated by points, and that could be a mini-race Indonesia will be tuned into.

Wu stands to make it in two disciplines.

Olympic and Paralympic News

Malaysia Masters: Step in Right Direction

Malaysia Masters: Step in Right Direction

24 May 2024
Malaysia Masters: Paris Spur for Mapasa/Yu

Malaysia Masters: Paris Spur for Mapasa/Yu

23 May 2024
Yavarivafa Vows to ‘Make Everyone Proud’

Yavarivafa Vows to ‘Make Everyone Proud’

11 May 2024
Paris 2024 Olympic Games Qualifiers Finalised

Paris 2024 Olympic Games Qualifiers Finalised

10 May 2024
Asia Championships: Dream Day for China

Asia Championships: Dream Day for China

12 April 2024
Pam Am Championships: Olympic Race Heats Up

Pam Am Championships: Olympic Race Heats Up

12 April 2024
European Championships: Shock Loss for Blichfeldt

European Championships: Shock Loss for Blichfeldt

12 April 2024
Asia Championships: Ohori Trips Tai

Asia Championships: Ohori Trips Tai

11 April 2024
European Championships: Christo Popov Falls to Lanier

European Championships: Christo Popov Falls to Lanier

11 April 2024
Asia Championships: Nishimoto Outplays Loh

Asia Championships: Nishimoto Outplays Loh

10 April 2024
European Championships: Fruitful Day for Hall, MacPherson

European Championships: Fruitful Day for Hall, MacPherson

10 April 2024
Pushing Through the Pain Barrier

Pushing Through the Pain Barrier

9 April 2024
Having Overcome Cancer, Chou Wants to Spread Positivity

Having Overcome Cancer, Chou Wants to Spread Positivity

5 April 2024
Twins Narrowly Ahead as Race Heads for Photo Finish

Twins Narrowly Ahead as Race Heads for Photo Finish

4 April 2024
No Relaxing for History-Nearing Opeyori

No Relaxing for History-Nearing Opeyori

23 March 2024
‘There’s Much More in Our Tank’

‘There’s Much More in Our Tank’

1 March 2024
Tai Tzu Ying, The Second Coming

Tai Tzu Ying, The Second Coming

29 February 2024
Take Two, with New Mates

Take Two, with New Mates

15 February 2024
Badminton Venue for Olympics and Paralympics Inaugurated

Badminton Venue for Olympics and Paralympics Inaugurated

13 February 2024
Kang & Seo: Showcasing Winning Ability

Kang & Seo: Showcasing Winning Ability

12 February 2024
Paris Dreaming

Paris Dreaming

8 February 2024
Malaysia Open: ‘Anything is Possible’

Malaysia Open: ‘Anything is Possible’

10 January 2024
In the League of Greats

In the League of Greats

7 January 2024
Malaysian Duo Look to Build on Gains from Last Season

Malaysian Duo Look to Build on Gains from Last Season

6 January 2024
Game for Friendly Fight

Game for Friendly Fight

5 January 2024
Gilmour: Grit and Grace on the Road to Paris 2024

Gilmour: Grit and Grace on the Road to Paris 2024

4 January 2024
Season Preview: Towards Paris 2024

Season Preview: Towards Paris 2024

2 January 2024
Dubai Para: ‘My Shots Were Perfect’

Dubai Para: ‘My Shots Were Perfect’

13 December 2023
Dubai Para: Monteiro Focused on Meticulous Planning

Dubai Para: Monteiro Focused on Meticulous Planning

12 December 2023
BWF Presents Super Smash Squad: Unleashing Badminton Heroes

BWF Presents Super Smash Squad: Unleashing Badminton Heroes

25 October 2023
Naraoka, An Se Young Lead Race to Paris

Naraoka, An Se Young Lead Race to Paris

4 August 2023
Paris 2024: With a Year to Go, Festive Spirit Pervades

Paris 2024: With a Year to Go, Festive Spirit Pervades

26 July 2023
Badminton Lets Pu Gui Yu Enjoy the World

Badminton Lets Pu Gui Yu Enjoy the World

20 July 2023
Two Olympic Champs Aiding Weng’s Growth

Two Olympic Champs Aiding Weng’s Growth

28 June 2023
Canada Para: Bethell Extends Dominance Over Bhagat

Canada Para: Bethell Extends Dominance Over Bhagat

19 June 2023
Thai Para: Daily Discussions Lead to Gold

Thai Para: Daily Discussions Lead to Gold

15 May 2023
Thai Para: Indonesia, Malaysia Halt China’s Domination

Thai Para: Indonesia, Malaysia Halt China’s Domination

14 May 2023
Thai Para: Overcoming the Racket

Thai Para: Overcoming the Racket

13 May 2023
Thai Para: ‘I Got Tired of Losing’

Thai Para: ‘I Got Tired of Losing’

12 May 2023
Thai Para: It’s Looking Up for Krajewski

Thai Para: It’s Looking Up for Krajewski

11 May 2023
The Bell Sounds for Paris 2024

The Bell Sounds for Paris 2024

1 May 2023
French Open 2024 to be Played at Paris 2024 Venue; Rescheduled to March

French Open 2024 to be Played at Paris 2024 Venue; Rescheduled to...

27 April 2023
Registration Deadline for Single Tickets Approaches

Registration Deadline for Single Tickets Approaches

15 April 2023
Spanish Para: Bethell Brings it Home for the Team

Spanish Para: Bethell Brings it Home for the Team

27 February 2023
Spanish Para: Double Winner Kajiwara Keeping it Fun

Spanish Para: Double Winner Kajiwara Keeping it Fun

27 February 2023
Spanish Para: Sooyoung So Good

Spanish Para: Sooyoung So Good

26 February 2023
Spanish Para: My Time to Shine, Enthuses Ikhtiar

Spanish Para: My Time to Shine, Enthuses Ikhtiar

26 February 2023
Spanish Para: ‘Anyone’s Playing Field’

Spanish Para: ‘Anyone’s Playing Field’

25 February 2023
Spanish Para: It’s All Smiles for Loquette

Spanish Para: It’s All Smiles for Loquette

24 February 2023
Spanish Para: Jones-Barnes Spreading the Joy of Badminton

Spanish Para: Jones-Barnes Spreading the Joy of Badminton

23 February 2023
Spanish Para: Patience Key for Self Motivator Bunsun

Spanish Para: Patience Key for Self Motivator Bunsun

23 February 2023
Spanish Para: ‘This One’s For You, Bello’

Spanish Para: ‘This One’s For You, Bello’

22 February 2023
Spanish Para: New Season Brings New Faces

Spanish Para: New Season Brings New Faces

21 February 2023
Para Shuttlers’ Road to Paris Begins in Spain

Para Shuttlers’ Road to Paris Begins in Spain

18 February 2023
Wandschneider/Hellman Chasing Fresh Records

Wandschneider/Hellman Chasing Fresh Records

4 January 2023
‘Extraordinary Year’ for Dual Paralympian Mathez

‘Extraordinary Year’ for Dual Paralympian Mathez

23 December 2022
Ticketing Opens for Paris 2024

Ticketing Opens for Paris 2024

13 December 2022
Para Badminton Events for 2023 Confirmed, Paris 2024 Journey Begins

Para Badminton Events for 2023 Confirmed, Paris 2024 Journey Begins

26 November 2022
‘France in Good Position to be Top Five in World’

‘France in Good Position to be Top Five in World’

17 November 2022
Schedule Announced as Two-Year Countdown to Paris 2024 Begins

Schedule Announced as Two-Year Countdown to Paris 2024 Begins

28 July 2022