New Delhi, August 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
France rewrote its history at the BWF World Championships in New Delhi on Sunday, winning two gold medals in a single edition of the tournament after having secured only two bronze medals across its entire previous history at the event.
At just 21, Alex Lanier became the first Frenchman to win the men’s singles world title with a dominant 21-11, 21-11 victory over Japan’s Kodai Naraoka.
Lanier’s triumph came shortly after Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue created history in mixed doubles, making France the first nation outside Asia to win the discipline’s world title since 2009. The French pair defeated top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping in the final.
For Gicquel and Delrue, the gold marked a remarkable progression from the bronze they won at last year’s World Championships in France. Their victory also ended Europe’s 17-year wait for a mixed doubles world title.
France’s stunning week in New Delhi has transformed its status in international badminton, according to national singles coach Kestutis Navickas, who attributed the breakthrough primarily to a change in mindset.
Asked about the key mental shift behind the two gold medals, Navickas told IANS: “The belief.”
He explained that both Lanier and the Gicquel-Delrue combination had already demonstrated their ability to win on the international circuit.
“The belief that we belong here and the belief that we can do it… With Alex, we won tournaments already. Thom and Delphine, they won tournaments already. So why not? Why are we worse? We are not worse,” Navickas said.
The coaching team worked on building momentum, improving technical aspects of the players’ games and, crucially, reinforcing their confidence against the sport’s established Asian powers.
“I believe it’s a belief in the whole country, in the whole badminton society now. There is a belief that we can win,” Navickas said.
Asked how the French champions would be received when they return home, Navickas remained characteristically modest.
“I don’t know. We never became champions. Maybe they will surprise us,” he said.
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