Badminton-Lanier crushes Naraoka to become first Frenchman to win singles world title

NEW DELHI, Aug 23 (Reuters) – Alex Lanier beat Kodai Naraoka 21-11 21-11 to become the first French player to win a singles title in badminton’s World Championships on Sunday.

Lanier took about 50 minutes to clinch victory in the men’s final as he outclassed Japan’s Naraoka, a former finalist.

Earlier in the day, Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue became the first French pair to win a badminton world title after defeating top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping of China 22-20 19-21 21-15 in the mixed doubles final.

Lanier’s win tops off a year of French dominance, after Christo Popov’s World Tour Finals victory last year, and the French team’s triumph over Denmark to win the continental championships this year.

(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha and Suramya Kaushik in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)

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