Rankireddy and Shetty are Gold Contenders at Paris Olympics: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who were considered underdogs, pulled off an utter stunner in their inaugural appearance at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, scripting a surprising triumph over eventual gold medallists Lee Yang and Wang Chi-Lin. While the win secured their position in the group table, a loss in the second encounter left their hopes hanging in the balance. The then-world No. 10 pair recovered to win their final group game, but it wasn’t enough to advance to the quarterfinals. Satwik and Chirag were in tears, as was their coach, Mathias Boe, as they consoled each other following their group stage exit. The Indian couple then revealed that they took nearly a month to recover from the heartbreak.
Three years later, Satwik and Chirag have emerged as heavyweights in men’s doubles, which is undoubtedly the most difficult category on the tour right now. Under Boe’s leadership, the two have grown from strength to strength, winning titles and breaking records at will. During this time, SatChi, as they are affectionately known by their fervent supporters, won a World Championships bronze, an Asian Games gold, and an Asian Championships crown, as well as rising to the top of the global rankings. Not to mention, they played an important role in India’s historic Thomas Cup victory two years ago.
While a lot will be riding on the world No. 3 pair, who will be attempting to win India’s maiden badminton gold at the Olympics, former India shuttler Parupalli Kashyap named them one of the favourites for the crown.
“I believe they’re a title contender. In response to a Hindustan Times query, Kashyap, an Olympics expert at JioCinema & Sports18, stated that they are one of the title contenders based on their wins in the Asian Games, Asian Championships, and medals in the World Championships.
Satwik and Chirag are seeded in Group C of the men’s doubles draw, with world number seven Fajar Alfian / Muhammad Rian Ardianto serving as their main early danger. However, Kashyap predicted that their toughest opponents would be world number one Liang Weikeng / Wang Chang and fourth-seeded South Korean combo Kang Min-hyuk / Seo Seung-jae.
Kashyap stated, “Their challenging adversaries will be the Chinese duo, whom they lost to in the Thomas Cup. In the last two meetings, I believe the Chinese pair defeated Chirag and Satwik. So they pose an immediate threat. They played a few tough bouts against the Koreans who won the World Championships, but I believe they beat them in another competition. So I think the Chinese and Korean pairs will be difficult for Chirag and Satwik, but I believe they will feel the same way about them.”
Can HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen better Kashyap’s Olympic performance?
Kashyap was the first Indian shuttler to reach the quarterfinals in the men’s singles event at the 2012 London Olympics, before Kidambi Srikanth repeated the feat in 2016. This is the first time two Indian men will compete in the Olympics since 2004, and Kashyap, not wanting to make premature predictions, described HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen as “dark horses” in the Paris Games.
“I think Lakshya and Prannoy are one of the dark horses in the draw,” he told reporters. “Both of them, especially Lakshya, played in the All-England final two years ago. He came through a difficult qualification phase for the Olympics.”
Lakshya had dropped out of the Olympic race but advanced to Paris after reaching the semifinals of the French Open and All-England Championships.
“Especially the first part of the qualification was difficult for him. He lost a handful of first-round matches, but the way he qualified by reaching two semi-finals and winning well against top-tier opponents…. It demonstrates his calibre.
“Under pressure, he has won matches in the Thomas Cup and the Asian Games.” He’s a big-match player who rises to the situation, particularly in big games.”
Kashyap said of Prannoy, “He is a multiple super series winner and made it to the medal in the World Championships, won the bronze beating Victor Axelson, and won the medal in the Asian Games against Lee Zii Jia from match point down.”
“Both Lakshya and Prannoy have battled difficult challenges and come out on top. They were both members of the Thomas Cup winning team and have much experience in important contests. They are capable of anything, but they are definitely the dark horses.
“They can beat anyone in the draw, whether it’s Li Shi Feng or Victor.” I won’t say they’re favourites, but they have a great chance to cause upsets and advance in the tournament.”
