Team USA is slated to qualify the most U.S. badminton athletes in the Olympics since Rio 2016 with seven qualified athletes. Leading the group is World No. 10 Women's Singles athlete Beiwen Zhang. Originally from LiaoNing, China, Zhang became a U.S. citizen and represented the U.S. at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. She made it out of Group Play but her journey ended in injury in the Round of 16. She looks to make the most of her second opportunity at an Olympic medal in Paris.
In Mixed Doubles, World No. 30 pair Vinson Chiu and Jennie Gai have qualified for their first Olympics. This is the first time since the Rio 2016 Olympic Games that the U.S. has qualified a Mixed Doubles pair. Chiu has also qualified along with his Men's Doubles partner Joshua Yuan as the World No. 44 pair. Like Chiu and Gai, this is the first Olympics for Yuan.
In Women's Doubles, World No. 32 pair twins Annie Xu and Kerry Xu have qualified for their first Olympics as well. They are the first Women's Doubles pair to qualify for the U.S. since the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
In Men's Singles, Howard Shu was invited for a conditional spot as part of the quota reallocation. Shu reaches his second Olympic Games, after first playing in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Athletes to Watch: #
- Beiwen Zhang: first Olympics ended in heartbreak after suffering an injury in the Round of 16 at Tokyo 2020. Since then, Zhang has bounced back to be ranked in the top 10 in the world in Women's Singles as she most recently won a gold medal in both the 2023 Pan American Games and the 2024 Pan Am Individual Championships.
- Vinson Chiu and Jennie Gai: the next highest ranked from the U.S. qualified athletes at World No. 30 in Mixed Doubles. They most recently won a silver medal at the 2023 Pan American Games and a bronze medal at the 2024 Pan Am Individual Championships.
For inquiries: Trenton Szeto - trenton.szeto@usabadminton.org
