Gold Medal went for Se Young An of Team Republic of Korea, the silver Medallist was Bing Jiao He of Team People’s Republic of China and bronze Medal was for Gregoria Mariska from Team Indonesia.

A sportsmanship that was seen in the second semi-final between Spain's Carolina Marin and China's He Bingjiao, when Marin suffered a serious knee injury when she was winning her match and the Spaniard ended up withdrawing as she was unable to continue competing. 

An injury for which Bingjiao did not hesitate to cross the net to worry about the condition of the Spaniard, who thanked her for the gesture. "Carolina cheered me up at the end, told me to play well in the final and wished me luck," said Bingjiao after the match.

However, in the first semi-final we also saw another beautiful gesture of sportsmanship during the match of South Korean An Se Young, first favourite for the title, who managed to seal her place in the final of the tournament after defeating Indonesian Gregoria Mariska Tunjung by 11-21, 21-13 and 21-16.

After her victory, Young made a beautiful sporting gesture with Tunjung, as after congratulating her for her effort and hugging her, he did not hesitate to take a photo with her and asked the audience to applaud the Indonesian player after her great match. These gestures reflect badminton as a great exponent of the Olympic spirit at the Paris 2024 Games.

Se Young An and Viktor Axelsen won singles gold

Korean badminton star and world number one Se Young An won the gold medal in women's singles at the Paris 2024 Olympics, defeating He Bingjiao. In the men’s final, Viktor Axelsen claimed gold, outplaying Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

An defeated China’s Bingjiao in straight sets, 21-13, 21-16. From the outset, An was dominant, taking the first set by eight points. Although Bingjiao raised her game in the second set, An's strength and consistency ensured her victory.

She became South Korea's first Olympic women's singles champion since 1996, AFP reports. "I've been saving up my feelings for the last seven years for this moment," she said after the match. "All the agony, the frustration, this is where it all came out," the 22-year-old added. 

An is sure that her best days are yet to come and that she can play even better in the future. "I always try to dream big, I always try to have the confidence that I can achieve that dream. "I think that's why I've been able to achieve so much at such a young age," she said.

An won the first world title of her career in 2023, defeating Rio 2016 gold medallist Carolina Marin in the final. Marin came close to a rematch in Paris, leading He 1-0 in sets and 10-8 in the second set in the semi-final, but she was injured and retired from the match.

"I was thinking about Marin and hoping to carry her spirit into the final. I feel sorry for her because she is an outstanding athlete. I wanted her to watch me and I hope she recovers soon," said silver medallist He after the final. Indonesia's Gregoria Mariska Tunjung took the bronze medal without competing after Marin's withdrawal.

Denmark's Axelsen retained his Olympic badminton title on Monday, dominating Thailand's world champion Vitidsarn in the men's singles final in Paris. Supported by enthusiastic Danish fans at La Chapelle Arena, Axelsen, the second seed, defeated his eighth-seeded opponent 21-11, 21-11 in 52 minutes.

Axelsen became the first man to retain the Olympic men's singles title since China's Lin Dan in 2008 and 2012. Vitidsarn's silver marked Thailand's first Olympic badminton medal. Axelsen quickly found his rhythm after a strong start from Vitidsarn, winning the first game in 24 minutes. The Dane's powerful smashes proved unstoppable in the second game, securing his victory. After the win, Axelsen celebrated with a Danish flag around the arena.

In the bronze match, India’s Lakshya Sen narrowly missed out on a historic men’s singles bronze medal, losing to Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia 13-21, 21-16, 21-11. Despite a strong start, Sen, ranked 22nd, couldn’t sustain his momentum against the world No. 7.