China wasted no time stamping their authority on BAHRAIN BWF Para Badminton World Championships 2026, becoming the first nation to guarantee gold medals – even before finals day.
The wheelchair category saw the Para badminton powerhouse set up two all-Chinese title matches – in WH2 women’s singles and WH1-WH2 women’s doubles – at the Isa Sports City on Thursday.
The doubles final was decided early, with Liu Yu Tong/Yin Menglu beating top seeds Cynthia Mathez/Ilaria Olgiati 21-4 21-14 to set up a clash against Chaoyue Fan/Li Hongyan. Fan/Li faced a sterner test against Thailand’s Onanong Phraikaeo/Sujirat Pookkham but came through 21-17 21-12.
Li, at 27 seven years senior to Fan, said: “I’m really looking forward to playing our teammates. I’m happy we the Chinese athletes can meet in the final, which further proves our strength in this event.
“We will work hard and show the world the face of Chinese women’s doubles Para badminton.”
The other final will feature Liu and Xu Tingting. Liu hardly broke a sweat in her 18-minute 21-7 21-4 win over top seed Pilar Jauregui while Xu was pushed harder by compatriot Li before prevailing 22-20 21-13.
China’s early triumphs echo their performance at the previous World Championships in Pattaya, Thailand, where they featured in four all-Chinese finals and topped the table with 13 gold medals.
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