27 July 2024
Ben Lane and Sean Vendy took plenty of positives despite defeat in their opening match of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The pair fell 19-21 21-16 21-11 to Tokyo bronze medallists Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik but went toe-to-toe with their Malaysian opponents throughout the Group A contest.
They made a fast start in the French capital, jumping into a 5-1 lead en route to winning the opening game 21-19 and looked on course to repeat their spine-tingling victory over the Malaysians at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
But the Malaysian duo hit back to take the next two games and seal victory.
Lane said: “We actually performed pretty well. We played lots of good badminton over the last two months and I think we did today.
That was close 💔🥵 what a battle! ⚔️
Ben and Sean got off to a great start, taking the first set against the world no 4 🇲🇾
On to the next one tomorrow 🔥🇬🇧#TeamGB #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/VTvavwfUZU
— Badminton England (@BadmintonEnglnd) July 27, 2024
“The Malaysians also played good badminton and unfortunately in sport there is a loser and that was us today.”
Vendy added: “It was a tough match, a good match. We played pretty well.
“We came out really strong and tried to put the pressure on them which I think we did really well. They are a top four pair, top four in the world, so they are never going to let us have it easy. They came back well and made us work for it and we just couldn’t get over the line.”
The pair made their Olympic debuts in Tokyo, exiting in the group stage in an empty arena.
The newly-built La Chapelle Arena was sold out and rocking after a sodden Opening Ceremony set the scene for the first Games in Paris for a century.
British fans have bought more tickets than any other nation except France and Vendy certainly felt the extra boost.
“[The atmosphere is] unreal. It’s insane,” said Vendy. “As soon as we walked out, you can feel there are so many people. It’s sold out on day one of badminton, it’s so good for our sport.
“It feels like a home Games for us because all our friends and family are there, at every point you hear them cheering for you. It gives you that couple of extra per cent. Hopefully the same again tomorrow, just hopefully we are on the winning side this time.”
Lane and Vendy take on world number one Chinese pair Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang in their second match tomorrow morning.
They need to win that game to stand a chance of progressing into the knockout stages, with the Chinese having clinically dispatched Adam Dong and Nyl Yakura of Canada in their first game.
Lane said: “We have just got to focus on recovery, that was a physical match out there and we need to be as best prepared as we can.”