Alex Lanier wins men's singles gold at BWF World Championships, France's first-ever singles world title
Alex Lanier defeated Kodai Naraoka 21-11, 21-11 to claim the men's singles title at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi on Sunday, securing France's first-ever singles gold at the tournament. The match finished in 50 minutes at the Indira Gandhi Stadium.
Earlier in the session Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue became France's first World champions in badminton when they beat top seeds Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping of China. Lanier, 21, had drawn attention throughout the week in Delhi for his physicality, skill and bravery and lifted the world title before a packed house at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, adding the World Championships gold to his Singapore Open title and maintaining a perfect record in finals in 2026.
Facing 10th seed and former silver medallist Kodai Naraoka, Lanier produced a controlled performance that many had not expected to be so one-sided. The opening game was level at 12-9 before Lanier won nine of the next 11 points, a sequence that decisively swung the match in his favour.
Lanier, the son of professional sailors, combined cross-court smashes with down-the-line finishes and displayed strong backcourt control and speed to unsettle Naraoka, who at times appeared passive. “There is sideways drift, but if you can become friends with it, you can take advantage,” Steen Schleicher said on air as he watched Lanier find the lines at will.
Naraoka mounted a brief rally in the second game, recovering from 3-8 to 7-8, but Lanier held his advantage and closed out the match without ceding the initiative. Lanier was not willing to let go of the hold he had on the match.
Born in 2005, Lanier is a former European Junior Champion whose breakthrough on the senior circuit came at the 2024 Japan Open Super 750, where he beat Shi Yuqi. He maintained consistency through 2025 and 2026, winning the European Championships, claiming the 2026 Singapore Open Super 750 title and anchoring France to a historic Thomas Cup final.
Lanier's victory completed a historic day for France at the BWF World Championships following Gicquel and Delrue's triumph over Feng and Huang, delivering the country's first singles world title at the event.
