UAE’s Riyan Malhan creates history in China

UAE’s rising badminton star Riyan Malhan created history by winning the country’s first-ever singles gold medal at the Badminton Asia U17 Junior Championships in Chengdu, China.

The 16-year-old, who is ranked No. 1 in the junior world rankings, produced an impressive display of attacking badminton to beat Hong Kong China’s fourth seed Zhan Shing Yui 15-5, 15-9 in the final.

As the top seed, Riyan dominated from the outset and maintained his composure to complete a straight-games victory and secure a landmark continental title for the UAE.

The triumph capped a memorable championship for Riyan, who also claimed a bronze medal in the boys’ U17 doubles alongside UAE teammate Adam Jeslin.

His remarkable progress has come rapidly. Two years after winning an Asian Cup U15 bronze medal in 2024, Riyan has now reached the top of the U17 level, underlining the growing strength of the UAE’s high-performance badminton pathway and its ambitions of producing athletes capable of competing at the Olympic level.

Riyan became the junior world No. 1 earlier this year and has already set his sights on bigger goals.

His next target will be the Junior World Championships in Cairo in October, followed by the Youth Olympics in Senegal in November.

“It’s a proud feeling – for me, for the country, for my parents,” Riyan had said after reaching the top of the junior rankings. “It doesn’t come easily. There’s a lot of hard work, effort, education and sacrifices.

“But this is just a stepping stone. I want to become senior World No. 1. That’s the real goal.”