Cairo:Taiwanese shuttlers Chen Ping-hsuan and Lee Wei-ting clinched the men's doubles title at the 2026 World Junior Badminton Championships, marking Taiwan's first gold medal in the event. The championship took place in Cairo, Egypt, where the top-seeded pair secured their victory on Saturday.
According to Focus Taiwan, Chen and Lee defeated Japan's Mahiro Oku and Masato Yamashiro in straight games, with scores of 15-10, 15-9. The Taiwanese duo showcased impressive skill and strategy, taking an early lead of 7-2 in the first game. Despite the Japanese team's efforts to close the gap, Chen and Lee capitalized on service errors to secure the first game.
The second game was evenly matched up to 6-6, but Chen and Lee managed to pull ahead with a decisive five-point run, eventually winning the game 15-9 to secure the championship. Remarkably, they did not lose a single game throughout the tournament.
Their coach, Lin Chun-yung, expressed satisfaction with their performance, noting their mental maturity and complete skill set. Despite having partnered for just over a year, they previously won a silver medal at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in July. Lin had aimed for a medal at the World Junior Championships but noted that the pair had exceeded expectations by winning gold.
Lin also highlighted their strong game awareness and ability to dominate crucial stages of the matches. He mentioned that this year's tournament implemented a 15-point game format for the first time, speculating that the outcome might have varied with the traditional 21-point format.
