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Thailand wins first Olympic badminton medal

Badminton is just the fourth sport Thailand has earned a medal at the Summer Olympics.

PARIS, France — Kunlavut Vitidsarn reached the men's badminton singles final at the Paris Olympics to win Thailand its first medal in the sport.

Vitidsarn earned the silver medal after losing 2-0 to Denmark's Viktor Axelsen in the final. Axelsen has won the last two gold medals in the event.

He pulled off back-to-back upsets in the quarterfinals and semifinals to reach the gold medal match. He beat China's Shi Yuqi in a dominant 2-0 fashion before beating Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia 2-0. Yuqi and Lee are the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked badminton players in the world, respectively. Vitidsarn is ranked No. 13.

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Vitidsarn's run to silver was just the second time a Thailand player had ever reached a medal match. The only previous time was in the 2004 Athens Olympics when a Thailand player lost in the bronze medal match. Thailand has never had a women's singles player reach the semifinals.

Thailand now has 36 Olympic medals all-time after Vitidsarn's performance. The first 35 medals were concentrated in just three sports -- boxing, taekwondo, and weightlifting. 

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Credit: AP
Thailand's Kunlavut Vitidsarn plays during a badminton match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Aug. 5, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

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