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This 102-Shot Badminton Rally Seemed Like It Would Never End

A truly grueling badminton point. 

Dan Gartland

This 102-Shot Badminton Rally Seemed Like It Would Never End
This 102-Shot Badminton Rally Seemed Like It Would Never End /

While you were busy watching March Madness this weekend, the real sports action was going on in England. 

The women’s doubles final at the All England Open badminton tournament in Birmingham featured a truly mind-bending point that lasted a grueling 90 seconds and consisted of 102 shots.

It came in the second set between Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Sayaka Hirota and Denmark’s​ Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl. The Danes held an 18–17 lead after winning the first set 21–19. 

Over the following minute-and-a-half, the four women traded shots with no end in sight. The crowd started freaking out when the rally was only 40 shots old. It wasn’t even half over!

​

Pedersen and Rytter Juhl went on to win the set, 21–18, to win their first prestigious All England championship. 

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Dan Gartland
DAN GARTLAND

Dan Gartland is the writer and editor of Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, covering everything an educated sports fan needs to know. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).

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