Badminton Preview
This preview reflects info from July 2019. Due to disruptions from COVID-19, and the postponement of the Olympic Games to 2021, these storylines may have changed. For media looking for more recent information, please reach out to the sport’s press officer here.
Heading into the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, USA Badminton will look to capture its first medal since badminton became an Olympic sport in 1992. Badminton continues to be an ever-growing sport in the U.S. and that gives promise for a run to the podium in 2020. With many athletes ranked among the best in region, the U.S. is prepared to send more athletes than ever before to the Tokyo Games. At the Games, badminton consists of a single-elimination tournament. Each match is played to the best of three games, with 21 points each. In singles, the top-eight players are seeded according to the world rankings. In doubles, the top-four pairs are seeded. All competitions will have a group phase followed by playoffs to reach the finals.
Beiwen Zhang stands tall as the U.S.’s best chance for the podium in 2020, and perhaps the U.S.’s best chance in the history of the sport at the Olympic Games. Zhang is seeking her first Olympic experience and currently ranked 11th in the world in women’s singles. She has captured multiple titles over the last few years in some of the world’s largest tournaments, putting herself in position for an Olympic medal.
Phillip Chew will look to make his second straight Olympic team competing in men’s doubles, but this time around would be extra special, as his playing partner is his brother, Ryan Chew. The brothers went undefeated at the Pan American Mixed Team Continental Championships in Peru in February 2019 and helped the U.S. earn second place at the championships.
Additionally, 2016 Rio Olympians Howard Shu and Paula Lynn Obanana will look to compete in a new discipline in Tokyo. Shu played in men’s singles in 2016, while Obanana competed in women’s doubles. The duo is among the region’s highest-ranked in mixed doubles heading into 2020.
