Satwik-Chirag duo India’s biggest hope for a badminton medal at 2024 Paris Olympics

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Olympic medal hopes from badminton have always been resting on the shoulders of its women players. They were, expectedly, realised too. Saina Nehwal brought home the first one in 2012 and Sindhu two, in 2016 and 2020 respectively.

This year, however, it looks as if the men need to take the leap. And, the way Indian script has been progressing, the bulk of the expectations rests with current men’s doubles world No. 2 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty.

The duo navigated 2023 with exceptional results, reaching world No. 1 after clinching the first ever badminton gold for India at 2022 Asian Games (held in 2023). The Olympics are, undoubtedly, the next goal, as their coach and former world men’s doubles No.

1, Mathias Boe, has often said.
Boe started working with them in 2021. And, tactical tweaks from the Dane have seen the duo graduate from a fighting pair to a dominating one.

While they owe that to their attack, “tightening their defence” is an all-important next. Even an otherwise controlled Pullela Gopichand, India’s chief national coach, could not help but give in to proud emotions this Thursday.
Their smashes had left world No.

25 Chinese Taipei pair of Lu Ching Yao and Yang Po Han helpless in round two of the ongoing India Open. The quarterfinal the following day, a 35-minute powerfuelled win against No. 5 Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark, however, saw the coaches signal them to calm down.

One wonders if they did! 21-7, 21-10 read the final score as the crowd went ecstatic. They take the world No. 1 spot from the Chinese duo of Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang if they win the first title of the year on Sunday.