Canada's Victor Lai earns bronze at badminton world championships for 2nd straight year

Canada's Victor Lai repeated as men's singles bronze medallist at the badminton world championships on Saturday.

The 21-year-old from Markham, Ont., seeded seventh, lost in the semifinals to European champion Alex Lanier of France 16-21, 21-13, 21-14, inside Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi.

Both semifinalists who do not advance to the final receive bronze medals at the event.

Lai claimed Canada's first-ever medal at a badminton world championships last year when he ousted 2021 world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the quarterfinals in Paris.

This year, he toppled Loh in the round of 16 before taking down Rasmus Gemke of Denmark in the quarterfinals to earn his second world championship medal.

Lai has climbed from 50th to seventh in the world rankings over the past year.