Top-ranked doubles badminton team embracing weight of crown

They reigned supreme as the world's top men's badminton doubles team in 2025, and Korea's Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae feel they are more than ready to keep carrying their crowns. Reunited as a tandem this year after seven years apart, Kim and Seo tied a single-season record with 11 international titles, including their first world championship together. And they put an exclamation point on their memorable season by winning the Badminton World Federation World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China, Sunday, with a 2-0 (21-18, 21-14) victory over Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang of China. "It was a huge honor to win the last tournament of the season," Kim told reporters at Incheon International Airport on Monday. Seo chimed in: "We've had to overcome a lot of difficult situations, but we were able to finish strong with the title." Seo was referring to Kim's wonky back that threatened to derail the duo's title bid. Kim revealed Monday that he had picked up a lower back injury two weeks prior to the World Tour Finals. He wasn't able to train as much as he wanted, and he had to instead undergo treatment.