Long-Time Pair Wins Bronze in Badminton Women’s Doubles; Pair Wanted to Follow in Footsteps of Former Medal Winners

By Kazunori Hirachi / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

17:35 JST, August 4, 2024

PARIS — Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida claimed victory in the bronze medal match of women’s doubles badminton on Saturday, defeating the Malaysian team in two straight games.

It was the first time in two Olympic Games that Japan has won a women’s doubles medal in badminton.

After the shot that secured the pair their medals, Shida, 27, and Matsuyama, 26, looked overjoyed as they hugged.

Shida said with a smile: “I feel thankful [to her]. Nami cries so much that I’ve got no tears to cry.”

The two women, whose pairing has been highly praised, racked up points as if they were trying to wipe out the disappointment of their semifinal result.

Shida would often hit the shuttlecock into the opponent’s court first, while Matsuyama would take the shot that was returned. The two moved around the court freely as if they were dancing.

Denying their opponents a chance to take back the momentum, the pair won the victory without losing a game.

The two first met each other when they participated in a training camp for junior athletes. Shida, from Akita Prefecture, approached Matsuyama, from Fukuoka Prefecture, and struck up a conversation during the training camp. Matsuyama told Shida she wanted to be friends with her and asked for her contact details. It was the start of the pair’s long-time relationship.

Matsuyama joined Saishunkan Pharmaceutical Co’s badminton team, which Shida was already in, as if she was chasing Shida.

Shida said, “Since way back when, we had talked about forming a pair sometime in the future.”

They brushed up their teamwork skills over a long period of time.

They aspired to be like Mizuki Fujii and Reika Kakiiwa, who won silver at the London Games, and Ayaka Takahasi and Misaki Matsutomo, who won gold at the Rio de Janeiro Games.

However, they were unable to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics as their skills were not up to par.

So the duo targeted the Paris Olympics.

Matsuyama said: “The color of the medal is different [to what we aimed for] and, to be honest, winning a medal doesn’t seem real yet. But I want to inspire children and meet people who felt happy [to see us get the bronze].”

The two stepped onto the podium that they had desperately wanted to stand on and had been single-minded in their efforts to reach.