Canada’s Victor Lai secured a bronze medal in the men’s singles category at the badminton world championships held in New Delhi. The 21-year-old athlete from Markham, Ontario, who was seeded seventh, faced a tough challenge in the semifinals against European champion Alex Lanier of France, ultimately losing 16-21, 21-13, 21-14. Despite the defeat, both semifinalists not progressing to the final round are awarded bronze medals at the prestigious tournament.
Last year, Lai made history by clinching Canada’s inaugural medal at a badminton world championships when he defeated 2021 world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the quarterfinals in Paris. This year, he continued his impressive performance by eliminating Loh in the round of 16 and later triumphing over Rasmus Gemke of Denmark in the quarterfinals to secure his second world championship medal. Lai’s remarkable achievements have propelled him from 50th to seventh place in the world rankings within just one year.