Victor Lai vs Loh Kean Yew rematch at 2026 BWF World Championships, New Delhi; repeat podium after historic bronze

“The biggest thing is the confidence”: Victor Lai on life since Canada’s first badminton world medal – and a Loh Kean Yew rematch

Canada’s Victor Lai and Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew meet again at the 2026 BWF World Championships on Thursday (20 August). A year on from his historic bronze, Lai spoke exclusively to Olympics.com about pressure, expectation, and fitting a kinesiology degree around life on the World Tour.

Twelve months ago, Victor Lai was a lesser-known player in the badminton world.

Fast forward to today, and the 21-year-old is a Super 1000 champion, a seventh seed for the 2026 BWF World Championships, and a player no one overlooks.

The Canadian won his nation’s first-ever badminton medal at the World Championships in Paris last year, beating Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew 22-20, 21-18 in the quarter-finals before losing to People’s Republic of China’s Shi Yuqi in the semi-finals.

Lai is currently competing in the 2026 edition of the tournament in India, where he and Loh have both come through their opening two rounds, setting up a third-round match a year on from their quarter-final clash.

Ahead of the rematch, Lai spoke to Olympics.com about the weight of being a seeded player, the past year that’s changed his standing in the sport, and why he’s glad not to be a full-time university student.

Action from the 2026 BWF World Championships is streaming live on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com and the mobile app. Territorial restrictions apply.

BWF World Championships 2025: University student Victor Lai makes history, winning Canada’s first-ever medal

Lai’s rise has continued since Paris, soaring from world No. 104 at the start of 2025 to a career-high No. 7 today. In June, in the final of the Indonesia Open, he beat home favourite Jonatan Christie 21-19, 21-8 at Istora Senayan to become the first Canadian to win a BWF World Tour Super 1000 title.

“I think it shows you’ve got to believe,” Lai says of his success. “In Canada we might not have the support or the firepower as other countries, but if you believe, you can do it.”

That belief, Lai admits, has only grown following his history-making bronze at the 2025 Worlds.

“I think the biggest thing is the confidence and the motivation that I can do it, because before that I was a bit of an unknown player,” Lai says. “So to get that in my first World Championships was pretty special, and I got so much support, and I just started to believe that I can compete with the top guys.

“Now that I’m in my second World Championships, I feel more at place. I feel like I’ve been in this stage before.”

Lai celebrates with a trophy and a medal after winning the men’s Indonesian Open.

Adjusting to the weight of expectation

While Lai may have been a surprise contender in Paris, he has no such advantage in New Delhi.

“There’s a lot more pressure this time,” he admits. “Of course, I’m trying to tell myself to play free and play with the freedom that I had last year. It’s a lot harder this year with expectations and the pressure, but I’m learning to deal with it. Having my personal coach here is pretty awesome – she can help me through it.”

One of the recurring talking points during Lai’s run at the 2025 World Championships was that he was still a university student. He remains enrolled at York University, where he is working towards a degree in kinesiology, although his studies have inevitably taken something of a back seat as his badminton career has accelerated. Even so, the knowledge he’s gained is already proving handy.

“I’m not at the advanced level yet, but I know the basics and I can kind of help myself with specific muscles,” he says of his studies. “I kind of know my body well because I studied it, so that helps a little bit, and I can also help some of my friends or some of my teammates.”

Asked whether a three-game match or an afternoon of revision is the harder shift, he doesn’t hesitate.

“Both tough. I think badminton is definitely tougher. Studying is another beast though – and I’m happy I don’t have to fully do school.”

With defending champion and top seed Shi Yuqi already beaten by India’s Ayush Shetty in round one, the 2026 World Championships have been blown wide open. Lai’s own route hasn’t got any easier, though: get past Loh, and third seed Christie, the man he beat in Jakarta, is his likely opponent in the quarter-final.

Should he come through that gauntlet and reach the podium again, Paris will look less like a one-off and more like proof that Lai belongs among the genuine medal contenders heading towards LA28 .

Olympics.com social media producer Nishant Salvi contributed to this story.

Badminton | World Championships | New Delhi | India