Kunlavut Vitidsarn beats Kodai Naraoka, claims BWF World Championships gold
What's the story
Kunlavut Vitidsarn claimed the gold medal at the 2023 BWF World Championships in Copenhagen on Sunday.
The Thai shuttler defeated Kodai Naraoka in three sets 19-21, 21-18, 21-7 to win the gold.
Notably, he became the first Thai shuttler to win the World Championships gold medal in the men's singles category.
He won the silver medal in the 2022 edition.
Here's more
Head-to-head
BWF Head-to-head: Naraoka 3-4 Vitidsarn
The two shuttlers have played each other seven times and Vitidsarn edges Naraoka with four wins. The Japanese shuttler has recorded three victories.
Their last meeting before this final was in the Sudirman Cup quarter-finals this year, where also Vitidsarn won the clash 21-12, 21-13.
The head-to-head was tied at 3-3 but with this big win, Vitidsarn now has the lead.
Record
First Thai men's singles world champion
This is the second time Vitidsarn has featured in the World Championships final and on his second try he brought home the ultimate prize. He became the first Men's Singles World Champion from Thailand.
He lost to Viktor Axelsen last year, settling for silver.
Other than him only Kantaphon Wangcharoen is the other Thai shuttler with a men's singles bronze medal (2019).
Journey
A look at Vitidsarn's journey to the finals
Vitisarn started his journey with a win over Jonathan Matias (21-16, 21-14) in the R64.
The world number three won against Ygor Oliveira (21-9, 21-18) in the second round.
He got the better of Lakshya Sen (21-14, 16-21, 21-13) in the round of 16.
Vitidsarn defeated Wang Tzu-wei (18-21, 21-15, 21-13) in the quarters.
He beat HS Prannoy 18-21, 21-13, 21-14 thereafter.
2023
Vitidsarn has grown in stature as the year has progressed
Vitidsarn has grown in confidence with every passing tournament in 2023.
He won the India Open beating Viktor Axelsen in the final and also bagged the Thailand Open.
Vitidsarn finished runners-up in the US Open with a final defeat against Li Shifeng.
Overall, he has won three BWF World Tour titles, while earning four runners-up medals.
He owns a win-loss record of 34-9 (2023).
Record
Vitidsarn scripts this unique BWF World Championships record
Vitidsarn has won the BWF Junior World Championships title three times (2017, 2018, 2019).
He created history with his win at the 2023 BWF World Championships. The Thai shuttler became the sixth men's singles shuttler to win the World Junior title and the World Championships.
Vitidsarn joins a list that includes star shuttles like Sun Jun, Chen Jin, Chen Long, Axelsen and Kento Momota.
Twitter Post
Twitter Post
Congratulations to š¹š Kunlavut Vitidsarn!#BWFWorldChampionships #Copenhagen2023 pic.twitter.com/g6GzF7qMsZ
ā BWF (@bwfmedia) August 27, 2023