Shi Yuqi poses for a photo at the award ceremony. [Photo provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

Shi Yuqi, a native of Nantong in Jiangsu province, was awarded the title of Best Male Singles Player of the Year at the Badminton World Federation's annual best player awards ceremony held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Dec 9.

At the Paris Olympics, the most important competition of the 2024 season, Shi was not performing at his best, failing to make it past the men's singles quarterfinals. However, at several other international competitions throughout the year, he won four championships, one runner-up, and reached the semifinals thrice in men's singles. Since June 11, he has consistently held the top spot in the men's singles rankings worldwide, making him the best-performing male singles player in the international badminton scene this season.

The BWF established the Best Player of the Year award in 1998. Shi is the third Chinese male singles badminton player to be recognized after Lin Dan and Chen Long. He is also the second Jiangsu badminton player to receive the honor after former national player Cai Yun from Suzhou and the first from Nantong to be honored.