China's Zheng Siwei, left, and Huang Yaqiong return the shuttlecock to Japan's Arisa Higashino and Yuta Watanabe during their mixed doubles badminton gold medal match at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
PETALING JAYA: Zheng Siwei has promised there will be no more heartbreak in Paris after missing out on the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The mixed doubles shuttler from China narrowly lost 17-21, 21-17, 19-21 to compatriots Wang Yilyu-Huang Dongping in the final.
Siwei, who forms the current world No. 1 pairing with Huang Yaqiong, made his intentions clear in a recent interview with the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Yilyu has since retired while Dongping has combined with Feng Yanzhe.
“I’m extremely motivated to do better in the Paris Olympics after coming so close in Tokyo,” said the 26-year-old Siwei.
“I must give my best in the whole journey as it could be my last chance to realise my dream.”
Siwei will turn 31 by the time the 2028 Los Angeles edition rolls around while Yaqiong will be 34.
“Being an Olympic champion is the ultimate honour for any athlete.”
The Olympic gold is the only major honour missing from Siwei-Yaqiong’s impressive collection.
They had captured the World Championships title three times in 2018, 2019 and 2022 and had won gold in the Asian Games twice in 2018 (Indonesia) and this year at home in Hangzhou.
Siwei-Yaqiong also bagged the Asian Championships title twice in 2017 and 2022.
The duo enjoyed a dominant 2022 where they won a whopping eight World Tour titles.
Siwei-Yaqiong have captured the Malaysian, All-England and Indonesian Opens and finished runners-up to South Korea’s Seo Seung-jae-Chae Yu-jung in the World Championships in August so far this year.
