The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are almost here, and fans will be waiting with bated breath to watch their favourite stars in action. What does their recent form indicate for the strongest contenders? Here’s a glimpse at the fortunes of four standout men’s doubles pairs since January:

Liang Wei Keng/Wang Chang (China)

Born: 2000/2001. Right/Right

Having won two of the three Super 1000 tournaments so far – Malaysia Open and Indonesia Open – and the Badminton Asia Championships, the Chinese pair were rewarded with the world No.1 ranking.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty (India)

Born: 2000/1997. Right/Right

Had a brilliant start to the season, making three straight finals (four if the previous season’s China Masters is included). Although they fell short in Malaysia and India, they came good at the Olympic venue, winning the French Open without dropping a game. A subsequent shoulder injury to Rankireddy meant they missed the tune-up tournaments to the Olympics.

Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (Denmark)

Born: 1992/1989. Left/Right

Surprise runners-up at last year’s World Championships, they hit their career-high ranking of No.2 in June on the back of a series of impressive performances. They will head into the Olympics having won three titles this season (European Championships, Malaysia Masters and Canada Open) from four finals.

Kang Min Hyuk/Seo Seung Jae (Korea)

Born: 1999/1997. Right/Left

The reigning world champions began the season well with a semifinal at the Malaysia Open and beat home favourites Rankireddy/Shetty in India, before making another semifinal in France. Since then they have had a bumpy ride.

Also Read:

Form Guide: Women’s Doubles Frontrunners

Form Guide: Mixed Doubles Frontrunners