Wednesday, October 25th.- Canada celebrated twice in the badminton events at Pan American Games Santiago 2023, securing gold in both female's and male's doubles in the finals held at the Centro de Entrenamiento Olímpico. 

The Canadian female's team, composed of Catherine Choi and Josephine Wu, defeated the American duo of sisters Kerry and Annie Xu in the final with scores of 21-18, 10-21, and 21-17. 

Despite the Xu sisters accumulating more points throughout the match, with 56 to 52, it was the Canadian pair of Choi and Wu who delivered in the decisive moment of the third set to claim the Pan American gold. 

Josephine Wu commented after the victory, saying, "It was all very exciting, with a comeback. I don't know what to say. Being able to fight back was fantastic for us. We are very happy about it. I am speechless because our spirits were down, but we overcame it, and, well, these are our first Pan American Games, so we are very excited. It's fantastic to win a medal for your country, especially if it's gold. It's a big deal for us because it contributes to the medal count." 

Meanwhile, Catherine Choi stated, "The medal is dedicated to everyone who has helped me train, the people in my city. Everyone who has assisted me on this journey has had a significant impact on my career, including my coach, of course. It also goes especially to my mother because today is her birthday." 

In the male's doubles final, the Canadian pair of Nyl Yakira and Xingyu Dong claimed the gold at Santiago 2023 by defeating the Brazilian duo of Davi Carvalho and Fabricio Rocha with scores of 19-21, 21-15, and 21-15. 

Despite a challenging start, even losing the first set, Yakira and Dong managed to turn the match around and secure the top spot. The South Americans tried to counter the Canadian attacks, even coming close to reducing the match points, but ultimately could not avoid defeat. 

With these two gold medals, Canada solidifies its position in third place in the overall medal tally, with a total of 61 medals (including 22 golds), coming close to Mexico in second place. 

It's worth noting that in the 2023 Pan American Games, badminton contributes to the Olympic ranking, playing a crucial role in the journey towards Paris 2024. 

Written by Patricio Echagüe y María Fernanda Pavez; translated by Pía Barriga / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport
Ph: Javier Vergara / Santiago 2023 vía Photosport