Source: Sipa USA/Sydney
[Saba Sports News] In the men’s doubles final of the Orleans Masters last week, although the Chinese duo of Wang Chang and Liang Weikeng lost to the new South Korean pairing of Kang Minhyuk and Dong Ju Ki, Liang Weikeng made headlines by unexpectedly setting a world record. He achieved a smash at a speed of 497 km/h, breaking his previous record of 492.8 km/h set last year. Prior to that, Liang had also made the top ten in badminton smash speed rankings with speeds of 481.7 km/h and 476.1 km/h. According to records, the Badminton World Federation first conducted tests on shuttlecock speeds during the 2005 Sudirman Cup in Beijing, where Fu Haifeng, a two-time Olympic men’s doubles champion, set a record of 332 km/h. Since then, badminton has replaced tennis and squash as the fastest racket sport in the world. Over the past 20 years, the fastest speed in badminton has increased from over 300 km/h to nearly 500 km/h, averaging a 100 km/h increase every decade. This change is attributed to various factors, including shuttlecock weight, swing force and speed, and air resistance. Generally, the shuttlecock reaches its highest speed the moment it leaves the racket. Additionally, the speed rating of the shuttlecock is also related to its speed; the higher the rating, the faster the speed.