CHENNAI: Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn beat Kodai Naraoka in the men’s singles final to clinch the gold medal in the BWF World Championships in Copenhagen. Vitidsarn, who had ended HS Prannoy’s run on Saturday, beat Naraoka 19-21, 21-18, 21-7.
In women’s singles, South Korea’s An Se Young claimed the title after overpowering former Olympic champion Carolina Marin 21-12, 21-10. On Saturday, India’s Prannoy had gone down fighting against Vitidsarn. However, he had done enough to secure a bronze medal. The in-form shuttler from Kerala had stunned home favourite and World No 1 Viktor Axelsen in the quarterfinals.
Prannoy’s bronze medal is a massive lift for India. The 31-year-old has been in an impressive run of form and he’ll be intent on carrying the momentum in the upcoming China Open — a Super 1000 event. Prannoy is set to face NG Tze Yong of Malaysia and could likely face Vitidsarn again in the second round.
