Victor Lai wins Canada’s first ever medal at badminton world championships
Victor Lai made history at the 2025 BWF World Championships in Paris, winning bronze in men’s singles to become Canada’s first ever world championship medallist in badminton.
Lai’s historic run included an incredible victory in the quarterfinals over 2021 world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore, ranked eighth in the world. The 20-year-old Canadian was down 17-12 in the opening game before storming back to earn the straight sets win, 22-20 and 21-18.
That not only secured his spot in the semifinals, but his spot on the podium; in badminton, bronze medals are awarded to both semifinalists who do not advance to the final.
Lai said after the match that he tried to not think about the significance of the moment. “I tried not to think about it too much. I knew I had a chance, but I just had to go out there and do my best,” he said. “It was definitely hard [to keep emotions in check]. I think I was up in the second game by a couple of points, but he sped up and he came back, and I was really, really nervous until I think it was 19-17 or 19-18. It was really close. So I just tried to keep calm, tried not to show too much emotion.”
Lai faced another tough opponent in his semifinal, world number one Shi Yu Qi of China. It was Lai who got off to a hot start, taking the first game 21-13. He was on the verge of one of the biggest upsets in world championship history, holding two match points at 20-18 in the second game. On the first, Lai hit a long shot that just missed the backline by a few centimetres and then Shi came up with an unbelievable net shot. That turned the momentum towards the Chinese star, who took the last two games 20-22 and 16-21. Shi went on to win his first world title.
This is the culmination of what has been a big breakout year for Lai. In April, he became the Pan American champion. In early July, he made it to the final of his first BWF World Tour event, finishing as the runner-up at the Canada Open Super 300. Just a couple of weeks ago, he won gold at the Junior Pan American Games. He is the first men’s singles player from the Pan American region to win a world championship medal.
“I think I got a lot of confidence from the summer, from past tournaments, and it feels good to be the underdog. I don’t have much pressure against the seeded players, so I just go and do my best,” he said after the quarterfinals.
“This has been an amazing week for Victor and Canadian badminton,” said Team Canada Head Coach Mike Butler. “He showed that he can compete with the best in the world on the biggest stage. He secured our first world championship medal and was a point away from playing for gold. He showed such composure under these circumstances and only 20 years old. He has a great future ahead of him.”
