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Defeating Powerhouse China... First World Championships Title in 31 Years

Hong Seok-jun

Published : Aug 23, 2026 8:51 PM

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The South Korean women's doubles badminton pair of Baek Hana and Lee Sohee defeated the world's top Chinese players to claim their first-ever World Championships title.

This marks the first time in 31 years that a South Korean pair has won the women's doubles event.

Facing China's Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning, who have reigned as the dominant world number ones for over two years, world number three Baek Hana and Lee Sohee played the match of their lives.

Capitalizing on a series of opponent mistakes, they started strong with five consecutive points. They secured the first game with a lucky point off the net cord and a precise smash targeting the corner.

In the second game, their solid defense repeatedly induced errors from the rattled opponents, ultimately completing a 2-0 victory in 51 minutes.

Lee Sohee celebrated by piggybacking Baek Hana, as the South Korean women's doubles team reached the top of the World Championships for the first time in 31 years, following Gil Young-ah and Jang Hye-ok in 1995.