Paris Olympics: Hong Kong’s badminton hopes lie with rare pair Tang Chun-man, Tse Ying-suet
- The duo, who achieved Hong Kong’s best Olympics finish in the sport in Tokyo, are the only world-ranked left-handed mixed doubles partnership
Hong Kong badminton’s prosperity in the Paris Olympics will hinge on their mixed doubles pair of Tang Chun-man and Tse Ying-suet.
Tang and Tse’s No 7 world ranking cemented their spot in the City of Lights, and after appearing in five BWF World Tour finals, and winning two, since November 2021, the pair may well find a place on an Olympic podium this summer.
The pair are among the first of the city’s athletes to compete at the Games, with their first game of the group stage on Saturday.
First breakthrough
The city’s premier mixed doubles tandem first teamed up in 2016, following Tse’s tenure in women’s doubles with Poon Lok Yang, and Tang’s stint in the men’s singles.
Coach Chen Kang, a 1992 Olympian and former member of China’s national badminton team, felt that Tang’s skills were more of a fit for an entirely different event.
The coach’s instinct proved right, with Tang and Tse winning their inaugural title in the 2016 Chinese Taipei Masters Open – just five months after first joining forces.
