Badminton World Championships: Alex Lanier, the shuttlecock ace

Portrait The highest-ranked French player of all time, the 20-year-old Normandy native plans to take French badminton to the top at the World Championships, from August 25 to 31, in Paris.

By Alice Ferber

Published on August 24, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.

In Paris, August 6, 2025. TERENCE BIKOUMOU FOR “LE NOUVEL OBS”

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What do a cheetah, Usain Bolt, and a Ferrari have in common? They're fast, but not as fast as Alex Lanier's smash. When the 20-year-old from Normandy whips the shuttlecock, it flies at 400 km/h. The badminton player leaps, thrusts his right arm, and the impact sounds like a gunshot. He sharpens this weapon at the National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (INSEP), the champion factory in the Bois de Vincennes, in preparation for the World Championships, which begin Monday at the Adidas Arena in Paris.

These home championships put the spotlight on French badminton, a year after the Olympic Games , where the delegation did not shine. None of the seven French players entered reached the quarterfinals. "It hurt me to see that the badminton I love was not put in the spotlight, even if it is normal that the...