Paris 2024 Anniversary: Zheng/Huang Badminton Doubles Dominance

Paris, August 9, 2025

Golden Day in Paris Seals Olympic Redemption

Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong claimed mixed doubles badminton gold in Paris, erasing the sting of their Tokyo silver.

Did Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong dominate the mixed doubles badminton at the Paris 2024 Olympics? Yes, they swept through the tournament without dropping a single game, culminating in a decisive final victory.

On their day in Paris, they showcased undeniable dominance. The Chinese duo, Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong, didn’t concede a single game on their path too the final. In the group stages, they secured straight-game victories against Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue, Rinov Rivaldy and Pitha haningtyas Mentari, and Kim Won-ho and Jeong Na-eun of the Republic of Korea.

Their quarter-final match pitted them against Chinese teammates Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. Notably, Huang Dongping was part of the pair that had defeated Zheng and Huang in the Tokyo final three years prior. Though, in Paris, Zheng/Huang swept aside Feng/Huang with scores of 21-16, 21-15. They followed this with another straight-games win in the semifinals against the fourth-seeded Japanese pair, Watanabe Yuta and Higashino Arisa.

The final was a rematch from the group stages against Kim and jeong of the Republic of Korea. It proved to be a one-sided affair, with Zheng and Huang winning convincingly, 21-8, 21-11, finally putting to bed their Tokyo disappointment.

“The moment when I stood on the podium… that very moment was when I finally felt that my dreams had come true,” Huang Yaqiong said, reflecting on the win.

Did you know? – Mixed doubles badminton was first introduced as an Olympic event at the 2012 London Games. China has consistently been a strong contender in this discipline, securing multiple medals.

It was a particularly special day for Huang. not only did she add to her Olympic medal collection, but her boyfriend, Liu Yuchen, also proposed to her immediately after the medal ceremony.She accepted.

“I can only describe it as happiness, because after silver in Tokyo there was some regret,” she explained. “It was regretful tears then and now it’s happy tears.”

“In this arena, whether it was receiving our medal or me getting my engagement ring, for both of us it was taking a step forward,” she added.

Pro tip: – Badminton scoring uses a rally point system. A match is best-of-three games,with each game played to 21 points,and a two-point lead is required to win.

Both Huang Yaqiong and Zheng Siwei retired from badminton in January.Their final tournament together saw them claim the 2024 BWF World Tour Finals title.

Watch the personal Best: Paris 2024 film now on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and on the Olympics mobile app.

Reader question: – What do you think is the key to Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong’s success as a doubles team? Share your thoughts!