French Revolution in New Delhi: Alex Lanier and Thom Gicquel-Delrue Clinch Historic Gold at BWF World C'ships

France have scripted the biggest fairytale of the BWF World Championships in New Delhi, returning home with two glorious gold medals. It was a watershed moment for French badminton. For the first time, they had not one but two gold medallists, with their mixed doubles pairing of Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue - the trailblazers - winning gold and Alex Lanier following them up to complete a golden brace. Alex made light work of Japan’s Kodai Naraoka, beating him in just over 50 minutes in straight games (21-11, 21-11).

The feats were a stunning testament to how far French badminton has come, rising from scratch to the very top of the sport.

The depth France have in men’s singles right now is something most countries would envy - two players in the top 10 and another in the top 15. The Popov brothers — Toma Junior and Christo - were the early pioneers of France’s badminton evolution, winning a slew of Super 100 and Super 300 singles titles. Following closely in their footsteps is now Alex.

Between December 2025 and August 2026, French badminton lived through some of its most exhilarating moments yet.

At last year’s Indonesia Open, one of four Super 1000 tournaments on the World Tour, Gicquel and Delrue won France’s maiden title. They were also the first French shuttlers to break into the world top 10 in any category - a sign that French badminton was finally heading in the right direction. Then came their World Championships breakthrough: the first French shuttlers to win a medal in 2025, the first to reach the final in 2026, and now, the first to strike gold.

In December 2025 came another epoch-making moment, when Christo stunned World No. 1 Shi Yu Qi in the final of the BWF World Tour Finals, the biggest title on the BWF World Tour calendar. Toma Junior followed it up by reaching the China Open Super 1000 final. Though he lost a gruelling three-game final against Chou Tien Chen, French presence on the World Tour had become a regular affair. The quintet ware at the heart of France’s soaring run in the Thomas Cup final in May.

Capping an incredible day for France at the Worlds, Alex, the youngest of the group, won the country’s first men’s singles gold - the culmination of French men’s singles’ remarkable recent surge and a collective idea.

"Together we try to bring France to the top of every tournament, and we can see that every week someone is achieving something. So to be the first is a bit more pressure because a lot are coming, but we enjoy that and it's good to do it," Delphine said.

While Denmark were Europe’s biggest power in badminton, France have soared above them at this World Championships, Gicquel and Delrue - bettering their 2025 bronze - thumping top seeds Feng Yan Zhe and Huang Dong Ping 20-22, 21-19, 21-15 to win the country’s maiden Worlds gold. It also completed a circle. Gicquel and Delrue ended Europe’s 17-year wait for a doubles gold. Incidentally, the last one came in 2009, in India, when Denmark’s Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter-Juhl won the title.

Gicquel and Delrue have achieved what nobody could have imagined 10 years ago.

“To be honest, it’s a long-term work by the French Federation,” Kęstutis Navickas, Alex’s Lithuanian coach, told Sports Now.

Patience has paid off. Kestutis has been Alex’s guiding force since the shuttler was 16, shaping his career from his junior days. Alex’s rise has been phenomenal, winning bronze at the BWF World Junior Championships in 2023 and gold at the European Championships in 2025. On the World Tour, he has also won five titles, the biggest being two Super 750 crowns at the Japan Open in 2024 and the Singapore Open in 2026.

The institutional effort France have undertaken to support badminton’s growth has been remarkable, with players being provided individual coaches. Kestutis is one of them, part of a system that has steadily transformed the country’s badminton landscape.

And the investment has been felt by the players themselves. Asked about France’s rapid rise in badminton, Delphine said, "The French federation put in more money and more time for us to be better. So I think that helped us also to grow. And now the sport is very professional in France, so that's why a lot of people are coming now."

“The French Federation has been working for many years to create the system and the structure. And now we are in a privileged position that uh, that the structure started creating the players. And when we have the competition like we have now in men's singles, so I can special it, we are pushing each other, we are learning from each other, and that gives the benefit to each of the player and to the French badminton,” Kestutis added.

Kestutis’ job does not end with providing inputs or correcting Alex’s technique. Success is about much more than that. He analyses his ward’s every move, while a team of analysts assess the players’ stress levels, muscles and tendons to speed up recovery after an intense match, keeping them ready for the next day.

But France’s badminton rise is not merely about facilities and coaches. It is equally about sports science, AI, family training centres and INSEP - the National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance in Paris. It was at INSEP that Thom and Delphine were paired up at 17, 10 years ago. Two years later, they won their first title - the Orleans Masters Super 300.

"It (sports science) has been about planning and being smart throughout the year. It's not something that helps you just for the day, but thinking about what we did last year or the year before and anticipating what is going to happen in the future is a pretty good idea," Thom said in response to a question from Sports Now.

Training at the Nelson-Paillou badminton arena, part of INSEP, French players are given everything they need to thrive. The individual coaching model is backed by data analytics, high-tech recovery protocols and specialised physical conditioning, helping them stay sharp until Championship Sunday. They also have a dedicated team monitoring what the players eat and drink.

When Alex played two back-to-back, identical three-game matches - one in the quarterfinals against Kulnavut Vitidsarn and another against Victor Lai - on both occasions, he fought back after losing the opening game. It showed his insane fitness levels and skills.

Gicquel and Delrue were ruthless in the semifinals. Against Jiang Zhen Bang and Wei Ya Xin, they won 12 points in a row, dominating the opening game. In the final, they cracked Feng and Huang to bring down the Chinese juggernaut.

And their victory could spark the next phase of the French badminton evolution. "I think a lot of people will start to follow us and follow badminton, so that's amazing. But it's not like football or basketball or anything, so we hope that thousands of people will wait for us, but it's not going to happen," Gicquel quipped before heading to Hong Kong to celebrate their win.

Sudipta Biswas is a seasoned sports journalist with over a decade of experience in the Indian news media landscape. An alumnus of IIMC-Aizawl, he spec... View More