“Failure is not the opposite of success; it’s part of success”. It’s rare for athletes to remain on a high plateau of success. Even the most successful inevitably experience ups and downs on their sporting journey. In March Alex Lanier lost first round at the All England. A month later as defending champion, he lost in the quarter-final of the European Championships. When Korean head coach Park Joo Bong was asked about An Se Young’s record 11 women’s singles titles in 2025, he responded by pointing out that her title haul did not include the #WorldChampionships (WC). A perceived failure which he obviously believed marred her undoubted success. Over the past year, former WR1 men’s doubles pair Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang appeared to have lost their way after losing to 4 different lower ranked Chinese pairs. Korean women’s doubles pair Baek Ha Na/Lee So Hee went into the WC having lost all 5 previous meetings this year against Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning. And MxD pair Gicquel/Delrue also had setbacks earlier this year, having suffered a shock defeat in their first match at the European Championships when seeded 1. All the eventual #WorldChampionship2026 Gold medallists had therefore suffered recent perceived failures. Not only did Lanier’s coach, Kestutis Navickas, confirm they had learnt from Alex’s All England failure and therefore they altered the preparation in the buildup to the WC, but I’m also certain each and every one of our new #WorldChampions would happily admit they have all learnt from their failures. Those failures have therefore been a big part of making and moulding them into the outstanding champions they have become. The WC in Delhi showcased what a glorious thing sport can be, and not just for the athletes. Not only did we have the excitement of 4 unexpected winners, including a French Revolution in MS and MxD, but all Gold medallists outstanding performances were also a beautiful reminder that we should never let a stumble in the road end the journey. That great things can happen to those who follow Nelson Mandela’s famous mantra of “I never lose. I either win or I learn.” Congratulations to all the WC medallists. 📷 @badmintonphoto