Looking to smash it
China DailyClockwise from top: Women's doubles queens Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan; rising men's doubles pair Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang; and world No 1 mixed duo Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong are striving to cement China's status as a badminton powerhouse at the Paris Olympics. Shi's time to peak As China's first men's world No 1 since retired Olympic champion Chen Long in 2016, Shi has been enjoying a dream season, which saw him win four singles titles in five finals on the BWF World Tour and help the Chinese men's squad win its 11th Thomas Cup last month in Chengdu. Shi's attempt to win it all in Paris will face a stern challenge from defending Olympic champion Axelsen, who leads 9-3 head-to-head against Shi, but has suffered two straight losses to the Chinese star and conceded the top ranking spot after spending 132 weeks there. Having almost seen it and done it all at the elite level, former singles world champion Zhao Jianhua encouraged Shi to embrace the pressure and draw power from within.
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Shi returns with a smashing performance
China Daily
Shi returns with a smashing performance
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