Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na win the women's doubles gold at the BWF World Championships for the first time in 31 years. [Yonhap]
Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na win the women's doubles gold at the BWF World Championships for the first time in 31 years. [Yonhap]

Lee So-hee and Baek Ha-na defeated the world's top-ranked pair to claim South Korea's first women's doubles gold at the BWF World Championships in 31 years.

The South Korean duo beat Liu Shengshu and Tan Ning of China 2-0 (21-15, 21-15) in the women's doubles final at the 2026 Badminton World Federation World Championships in New Delhi, India, on Sunday (Korean Standard Time). It is the first time South Korea has won the title since Gil Young-ah and Jang Hye-ok triumphed at the 1995 tournament in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Lee and Baek had consistently reached the podium at major Super 1000 events this season, earning silver at the Malaysia Open, bronze at the India Open and silver at the All England Open. Sunday's victory marked their first world championship medal together as a pair.

The South Koreans seized control from the outset, reeling off five straight points to open the first game and never allowing the score to be tied on their way to taking it comfortably.

In the second game, China came out aggressively early, but Lee and Baek responded with three consecutive points from a 4-4 tie to quickly regain momentum. At 7-5, Lee landed a surprise half-smash that sparked three more points in a row, stretching the lead to 10-5.

China closed to within 13-12 late in the game, but the South Korean pair held their nerve through a remarkable 67-stroke rally to score the point, then swept five straight to put the match away at 18-12. The title was sealed when China's final shot caught the net.


park.jiyeong@heraldcorp.com