TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Olympic gold medalists Lee Yang (李洋) and Wang Chi-Lin (王齊麟) faced a surprising defeat on Thursday (Sept. 5) in the Yonex Taipei Open (台北羽球公開賽) round of 16.
The badminton duo lost to Yang Po-han (楊博涵) and Liu Kuang-heng (劉廣珩) with scores of 21-15, 15-21, and 22-20.
This loss marked the final match for Lee and Wang as a duo in Taiwan. Lee and Wang, who clinched gold in men's doubles at the Olympics this year, fell short of advancing to the quarterfinals.
After the match, Lee expressed his gratitude to everyone, including Wang, who has been his partner for such a long time.
Wang, reflecting on the game, apologized to Lee, stating that he was not in the good shape, miscued horribly in the match.
Despite their disappointment, Lee will start a new chapter next Monday at National Taiwan Sport University (NTSU, 國立體育大學), where he has invited Wang to share his experiences with students whenever possible.
Yang and Liu, the unexpected victors, shared their excitement, saying they aimed to gain experience but were thrilled to win. Their victory adds a new chapter to their budding partnership, which began in June.