Paris Olympics 2024, Badminton Prediction: A look at possible winners of each group in men's singles

Viktor Axelsen will defend his gold medal at the Paris Olympics 2024.

The men’s singles badminton event at the Paris Olympics 2024 is set to be highly-competitive, featuring top players from around the world. Reigning Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen leads Group P, while World No. 1 Shi Yuqi is in Group A.

The bronze medalist from Tokyo, Anthony Ginting, is in Group H and will hope to add another Olympic medal to his collection. Malaysia’s top player Lee Zii Jia, in Group G, carries high expectations from Malaysian fans. Each player has a history of significant achievements and none of them can be counted out. Thus, the men’s singles event at the Paris Olympics is expected to be fiercely competitive.

That said, here’s a look at the possible group winners and a brief overview of each player:

Group A: Shi Yuqi

China’s Shi Yuqi began his 2024 season ranked sixth in the world, but his exceptional performances this year have catapulted him to the top. This year, Yuqi has triumphed at four BWF World Tour tournaments and finished as a runner-up at one. 

His prestigious BWF Super 1000 Indonesia Open title win allowed him to surpass Viktor Axelsen, who had maintained the World No.1 position for 132 consecutive weeks. He is placed alongside Giovanni Toti and Soren Opti in Group A and is one of the top contenders for gold at the Paris Olympics.

Group C: Kunlavut Vitidsarn

Kunlavut Vitidsarn is currently ranked eighth in the world. He is the current world champion. His best result this year was at the French Open where he lost to China’s Shi Yuqi in the final. The Thailand shuttler seems to have a comfortable group win. Other players in Group C are Kalle Koljonen and Georges Julien Paul.

Group D: Kenta Nishimoto

Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto will be the favourite in Group D. He is currently ranked No. 11 in the world. Canada’s Brian Yang could cause some problems. However, the Japanese badminton player should come out on top. Dmitriy Panarin is also a part of Group D

Group E: Anders Antonsen

The World No. 4 from Denmark, Anders Antonsen, will have no hard time on the court in the group. He is placed alongside Ade Resky Dwicahyo and Austria’s Collins Valentine Filimon. The Dane is very much capable of ending up on the podium in Paris.

Group G: Lee Zii Jia

Malaysia’s star badminton player Lee Zii Jia is the clear favourite in Group G. He is currently ranked No. 7 in the world. Other players in Group G are Spain’s Pablo Abian and Sri Lanka’s Viren Nettasinghe.

Group H: Anthony Sinisuka Ginting

Tokyo bronze medalist Anthony Ginting will be placed alongside home favourite Toma Popov Junior and Howard Shu from the USA. The World No. 9 will not face any major threats in the group and should comfortably top it.

Group I: Chou Tien Chen

Ranked No. 12 in the world, Chou Tien Chen is a two-time Olympian. The 34-year-old is very much capable of ending up on the podium in Paris. His only threat in the group would be Lee Cheuk Yiu from Hong Kong, who could pull off an upset. The other player in Group I is Luis Ramón Garrido from Mexico.

Group J: Kodai Naraoka

The World No. 5 from Japan would be a top medal contender in Paris. He is placed alongside Korea’s Jeon Hyeok-jin and Ygar Koelho and should have an easy way to the top in the group.

Group K: Prannoy H.S.

India’s top shuttler ranked No. 13 in the world, HS Prannoy will lead Group K. He has proved time and again his capabilities of defeating top players. Other players in Group K are Vietnam’s Le Duc Phat and Fabian Roth from Germany.

Group L: Lakshya Sen or Jonatan Christie

Group L is probably the only group with ambiguity in results. India’s Lakshya Sen and Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie are both strong badminton players who are capable of topping the group. However, if we go by rankings, Sen is currently ranked 19th in the world, whereas Christie is No. 3. Kevin Cordon and Julien Carraggi are the other two players in the group.

Group M: Loh Kean Yew

Singapore’s top shuttler and former world champion Loh Kean Yew will be the clear favourite in Group M. He is currently ranked No. 10 in the world. Loh is placed alongside Salvadoran badminton player Uriel Francisco Canjura Artiga and Czechia’s Jan Louda.

Group N: Li Shi Feng

The former All England champion Li Shi Feng from China is placed with Tobias Kuenzi and Nigeria’s Anuoluwapo Juwon Opeyori in Group N. He is currently ranked No. 6 in the world and will be hoping for a podium finish in Paris. That said, he will have no trouble in the group matches.

Group P: Viktor Axelsen

Reigning Olympic champion, the two-time Olympic medalist and former World No. 1 Viktor Axelsen is in Group P alongside Irish player Nhat Nguyen, Misha Zilberman from Israel and Prince Dahal from Nepal. Axelsen should face no trouble winning the group matches. However, it will be fascinating to find out if he can clinch a third Olympic medal.

In summary, the majority of the group matches will be one-sided and any upset among these is highly unlikely. Group L is the one which will draw the most attention.

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