New Delhi crowns a new champion: Alex Lanier’s historic rise

Prarthana Hazarika

NEW DELHI, Aug 23: New Delhi has given Alex Lanier the biggest title of his young career, and perhaps a memory that will stay with him forever.

The 21-year-old Frenchman produced a commanding performance at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on Sunday, defeating Japan’s Kodai Naraoka 21-11, 21-11 to become the BWF World Champion.

For Lanier, it was more than a victory. It was history.

He became the first Frenchman to win the men’s singles world title, completing an extraordinary campaign at the BWF World Championships and placing French badminton on a stage it had never occupied before.

The final itself offered little room for doubt.

Naraoka, renowned for his stamina, retrieving ability and relentless approach to long rallies, was unable to impose his usual game. Lanier took the initiative from the opening exchanges, controlled the pace and repeatedly put the Japanese shuttler under pressure.

The two-game scoreline reflected his dominance.

But Lanier’s journey to the title was not simply about what happened in the final. It was about how a young player handled the intensity of the World Championships, where one poor performance can end a campaign and every opponent arrives with the same ambition.

Lanier kept finding answers.

The Frenchman had already established himself as one of the emerging names in men’s singles, but New Delhi provided the stage for him to take the next decisive step.

And he did it emphatically.

The World Championships are different from the regular BWF World Tour. Ranking points and titles matter, but a world championship carries something more enduring — a place in badminton history.

Lanier now has that.

His victory also adds another layer to what has been a tournament of changing dynamics in men’s singles. The established names remain formidable, but the younger generation is increasingly showing that it is ready to challenge the traditional hierarchy.

Lanier is now leading that charge.

At just 21, he leaves New Delhi with a world title and the knowledge that he can perform when the pressure is at its highest.

For French badminton, the achievement is transformational.

For Lanier, however, the real challenge begins now.

Winning a World Championships title makes him a target. Every major tournament he enters will carry a different expectation. Opponents will study him differently, and the pressure that comes with being a world champion will be new territory.

But that is a challenge for tomorrow.

On Sunday, in New Delhi, Lanier had only one job — to win.

He did it in style.

New Delhi will always be special for Alex Lanier. This is where a promising French youngster became a world champion.