Badminton: Two-time world doubles champions taking different paths

After more than 10 years as partners, two-time world women’s badminton doubles champions Wakana Nagahara and Mayu Matsumoto have played their final match together.

Nagahara plans to retire in March and study abroad in Canada with the aim of becoming involved in international sports exchanges, while Matsumoto will team up with former rival Yuki Fukushima to try to return to the pinnacle of women’s doubles.

On Nov. 10 in the northeastern Japan city of Akita, the Nagahara-Matsumoto pair, nicknamed “Naga-Matsu,” ended their career together by beating Fukushima and Maiko Kawazoe in straight sets in the S/J League.

“My badminton career wouldn’t have been possible without (her),” Nagahara said. “I’ll forever cherish my time with her.”

Nagahara and Matsumoto, both from Hokkaido and standing 170 and 177 centimeters, respectively, formed a doubles pairing after they joined the Hokuto Bank corporate team out of high school.

They won back-to-back doubles titles at the world championships in 2018 and 2019 before making Olympic appearances in 2021 and 2024.

They spent 10 and a half years as a team.

Wakana Nagahara (L) and Mayu Matsumoto pose for a photo after playing their final match together in badminton’s S/J League on Nov. 10, 2024, in Akita, northeastern Japan. (Kyodo)

“What we’ve achieved will never go away. I’m glad we were able to walk through this precious life together,” Matsumoto said.

“I don’t think (she) will stay away from badminton even after her retirement,” she continued. “I hope to reminisce when we see each other somewhere in the future.”

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