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Mint
an hour ago
- Sport
- Mint
Who are India's next generation of Badminton stars?
Lakshya Sen was twice in a position to grab a medal in badminton at the Paris 2024 Olympics. In the semi-final, he lost to Viktor Axelsen after seeming in control of the match early on. A win would have taken him to the final and a guaranteed medal. In the match for a bronze, Sen led his opponent by a game before losing the next two. Those defeats summed up 2024 for Indian badminton, as a year in which the country's premier badminton players appeared to have lost their lustre. There were no singles titles for any player—Sen has won only one title since the Olympics, the Syed Modi India International in December, and hasn't made it past any quarter-finals this year. 'He would have won more, but the competitive environment is not set for him. He is brilliant, but it's not his fault (for not winning more)," says Parupalli Kashyap, a former world No.6 who has now pivoted to coaching. 'His work ethic and attitude are great. He has pulled off some amazing matches in the past. But if you see now, his performances have dropped considerably." Sen follows a generation of badminton players who, under the tutelage of Pullela Gopi Chand achieved considerable success, turning India into a badminton powerhouse. In 2022, Indian men won the Thomas Cup team event for the first time in its 70-odd-year history, showcasing an all-round strength and depth. Saina Nehwal won an Olympic bronze medal in 2012 London, P. V. Sindhu got two, a silver in 2016 Rio de Janeiro and a bronze in 2020 (held in 2021) Tokyo, ranking as high as No.2. Kidambi Srikanth was once world No.1, a silver medallist in the 2021 World Championships while H.S. Prannoy, once world No.6, finished third in the 2023 World Championships. But that was in the past. After a long gap now, no Indian player—male or female—features in the top 10 rankings. Sen, at No.17, is the highest while Sindhu, 30, is at No.15, having slid out of the top 10 in October last year. Srikanth, 32, and Prannoy, 33, are in the 30s in ranking as well. All of them are dealing with issues of fitness, motivation and consistency as the rigour of the sport takes a toll. Indian badminton seems to be undergoing a transition, from a generation of players who were consistently in the top 10, won a host of titles and catalysed the sport to waiting for the next lot to make a mark. With the World Championships starting 25 August, coincidentally in Paris, the venue for last year's Olympics, the sport is looking at new beginnings. 'At this point of my career, each and every win matters," Prannoy told the Badminton World Federation (BWF) website after a first-round win in the China Open this month. 'The level of men's singles has gone really high, so winning each round is getting tougher. The average age in men's singles has become 22-23 all of a sudden; a lot of fresh faces, we don't know what their game is. So it's tough to be a veteran of this," added Prannoy, who has lost in the first or second round of all his 11 tournaments this year. Looking Ahead Ayush Shetty, 20, won the US Open, a BWF Super 300 category event, in June and is currently the second highest ranked Indian male. Earlier this week, Unnati Hooda, 17, beat Sindhu in the China Open. Vennala Kalagotla, 17, and Tanvi Sharma, 16, finished third in the Asian Junior Championships last Sunday in Indonesia. Malvika Bansod, 23, won a title at the Azerbaijan International last year, finished third at the US Open, and was runner-up at the Hylo Open in Germany. Anupama Upadhyaya, now 20, was a few years ago the world's top-ranked junior. These are just a few names of upcoming players, but it's also early days for them, competing in a bruising, physically taxing sport in which a Prannoy, 33, is considered a veteran. 'We are nimble-footed and have supple wrists, but this sport is tough for Indian bodies where few like Sindhu have lasted largely injury free," adds Kashyap. While there has been a substantial increase in the number of children taking to the sport over the last decades, along with the spread of infrastructure and support from parents, badminton remains an expensive sport and opportunities to succeed at the elite level is limited. Some of these challenges even prompted the national coach Gopi Chand to recently say that the sport should be pursued only by the wealthy, because it does not offer job security or a guaranteed success. In Guntur, where Vennala grew up, her father Kalagotla Srinivasa Reddy was keen that she pick up a sport. The choice was between tennis and badminton, but when Reddy went to the tennis courts, he got intimidated by the fancy cars parked outside. Badminton became an easier option, which the child soon fell in love with. 'My father was a ball badminton player with ambitions of participating in the Olympics," Vennala says, back home from Solo, Indonesia. 'But since ball badminton is not part of the Olympics, he could not, but was keen that my brother and I follow that Olympic dream." The bronze medal, which has got her a direct entry into the BWF World Junior Championships in October, is a reward for all the 'sacrifices, early morning sessions," she says, bringing in the motivation to do better. 'It's the start of something bigger," she says over the phone. Passing the Baton Kashyap believes that the sport is not being organised in a way to optimise results, with 'too many heads working for a cause that does not make sense". Top players train at different centres, often lacking in adequate sparring partners, which would help in raising their standards. There is no second string of players getting funded consistently, he adds, despite efforts of not-for profit agencies like Olympic Gold Quest, GoSports and Reliance Foundation, which supports Vennala, among others. The lockdown in 2020, 2021, also made a debilitating difference to continuity, according to Nikhil Kanetkar, who runs an eponymous coaching centre in Pune. 'Every day of training matters. Not being able to play for a year and more was difficult. It put us back. Maybe in other countries, they were holed up in their (training) centres. That perhaps gave them an advantage." 'For me as a coach, for example, I had to start from zero. We lost a generation of players," adds Kanetkar, who was Gopi Chand's contemporary as a player in the late 1990s and 2000s. He says that players like Nehwal, Srikanth and Sindhu raised the sport to such a high standard in the country that it's difficult to maintain that level seamlessly. 'We should have had a backup (of players) to them, four-five years ago maybe." According to him, players do not have the patience to stay in one coaching centre for longer, which affects their growth. 'One national centre, like in Guwahati (National Centre of Excellence), would probably make sense, but all top players have to be there together. The system has to gear to that, get the best coaches, how China does it," Kanetkar adds. Badminton in India is at a crossroad, but everyone agrees that with the depth of talent available, the transition will happen, even if it takes a little longer. 'What I learnt is to be happy, but to never get satisfied," says Vannala. Arun Janardhan is a Mumbai-based journalist who covers sports, business leaders and lifestyle. He posts @iArunJ.
The Star
5 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Double joy as Arif-Roy King march into Macau quarters, book world c'ships slot
Well done: Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King book a spot in the quarter-finals of the Macau Open yesterday. PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King have double the reason to celebrate. Not only did they book a spot in the quarter-finals of the Macau Open yesterday, but they also earned a last-minute ticket to the World Championships in Paris from Aug 25-31. According to the latest update from the Badminton World Federation (BWF), Arif-Roy King, who were initially second on the reserve list, made the cut following the withdrawal of several higher-ranked pairs. Among those who pulled out are China's He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu and Indonesia's Muhammad Shohibul Fikri-Daniel Marthin. Their inclusion means Malaysia will now have four men's doubles pairs at the world meet, including former world No. 1 Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Asian champions Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, world No. 7 Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, and Arif-Roy King. 'I felt we had a good chance since we were second on the reserve list, but I told Arif to pray a bit harder so that we could make it in,' said Roy King. 'I'll definitely feel both nervous and excited to play there, as it will be our first appearance at the World Championships and having it in Paris makes it even more special. 'For both Arif and I, it's something we're really looking forward to.' The unexpected qualification has given Arif-Roy King a timely boost ahead of their quarter-final clash today against compatriots Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong. Arif-Roy King booked their spot after ousting India's Pruthvi Krishnamurthy Roy-Sai Pratheek 21-18, 21-18, while Azriyn-Wee Kiong battled past Indonesia's young duo Muhammad Putra Erwiansyah-Daniel Marvino 21-14, 15-21, 21-17. In the mixed doubles, Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing will take on second seeds Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi of China, while top seeds Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei are set to face Adnan Maulana-Indah Cahya Sari Jamil. Meanwhile, Justin Hoh is still in the running in the men's singles and will take on Thailand's Kantaphon Wangcharoen next. SECOND ROUND RESULTS (Malaysians only) Men's singles: Justin Hoh bt Ayush Shetty (Ind) 21-18, 21-16. Men's doubles: Nur Azriyn Ayub-Tan Wee Kiong bt Muh Putra Erwiansyah-Daniel Marvino (Ina) 21-14, 15-21, 21-17; Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King bt Pruthvi Krishnamurthy-Sai Pratheek (Ind) 21-18, 21-18. Mixed doubles: Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing bt Dhruv Kapila-Tanisha Crasto 19-21, 21-13, 21-18; Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje (Den) bt Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin 21-16, 21-16; Amri Syahnawi-Nita Violina Marwah (Ina) bt Loo Bing Kun-Go Pei Kee 21-9, 20-22, 21-11; Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei bt Li Hongyi-Huang Kexin (Chn) 21-18, 21-13.
The Star
5 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Zii Jia's comeback on the cards – but will he go through with it?
Long-term issue: Lee Zii Jia had been struggling with a left ankle ligament injury since December last year. PETALING JAYA: Professional men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia is set to make an appearance at the World Championships in Paris from Aug 25-31 after a four-month absence. Based on an update from the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on July 29, Zii Jia has confirmed his participation in the tournament after receiving an invitation from the world body. However, should the former world No. 2 change his mind, he still has time until Aug 12 to do so. Zii Jia had been struggling with a left ankle ligament injury since December last year, and has only competed in two tournaments this year, the Orleans Masters and All-England in March before the injury flared up again. His management, Team LZJ, had successfully secured a protected ranking for Zii Jia, and he initially planned to return at the US Open in June, but had to withdraw as he had yet to fully recover. For the same reason, Zii Jia also missed the China Open and Japan Open, which ended just a few weeks ago. The former All-England champion recently sparked concern after posting a series of unsettling sketches on his social media, prompting fans to question his mental well-being. While some viewed it as a form of artistic expression, others believe it could be a reflection of his frustration and demoralisation stemming from his prolonged absence from the court. Meanwhile, if he competes in the World Championships this time, he will be joined by another compatriot, Leong Jun Hao, who will be making his debut in the tournament. Paris proved to be a memorable venue for Zii Jia last year, as he captured a bronze medal at the Olympic Games. In the women's singles event, Malaysia will also be represented by two shuttlers, Goh Jin Wei and K. Letshanaa. All players will find out their opponents and potential path to the podium when the World Championships draw is held on Aug 13.
Indian Express
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Macau Open badminton: Satwik-Chirag survive scare, save match point to enter quarterfinals; Lakshya Sen also through in three
Second seeds Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty survived a massive scare against world No 89 Kakeru Kumagai and Hiroki Nishi, saving a match point after dropping the opening game to win 10-21, 22-20, 21-16 in 61 minutes on Thursday to seal their place in the quarterfinals of the Macau Open Super 300. In men's singles, Lakshya Sen also joined Tharun Mannepalli in the quarterfinal. The second seed was also pushed to three games as he fought past Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo of Indonesia 21-14, 14-21, 21-17 to enter the last-eight stage. Satwik-Chirag took to the court at nearly 10pm local time, and in the early stages looked out of sync and struggled for timing, looked all at sea against Japanese duo. In a tight second game, the Indians overcame a jittery end-phase after losing a controversial point, saving one match point to then force a decider. In the decider, they took an early lead and kept their opponents at an arm's length. 'At the Singapore Open, we were in the worst shape possible,' Chirag was quoted as saying by BWF before Macau Open. 'Winning even one game would have been great, and we ended up playing the semifinals, which was way beyond our expectations. We never even thought we could go beyond the first round… so things are happening, and hopefully we can go further.' 'We have to get fit 100 per cent,' Satwik had added. 'We haven't played without injury for the last one year, we've been playing with niggles. We need to be healthy all the time, and not think too far ahead. Once we're healthy, we can do well. Injuries have been restricting our game.' The headline of the day for the Indian contingent was Tharun's breakthrough result against Lee Cheuk Yiu of Hong Kong as he rallied splendidly to outwit the top seed and world No 15, 19-21, 21-14, 22-20 in a match that went past the hour-mark. The 23-year-old world No 47 has now reached his second quarterfinals of a Super 300 tournament after entering the last eight at the German Open in February. Both the Indians face Chinese opponents, with Lakshya facing Zhu Xuan Chen and Tharun taking on Hu Zhe'an, the reigning Junior World Champion. However, Ayush Shetty was ousted after an 18-21, 16-21 loss to Malaysia's Justin Hoh. In the women's singles India's Rakshitha Ramraj went down against Busanan Ongbamrungphan of Thailand 21-14, 10-21, 11-21 in a match that lasted 51 minutes. The teenager was impressive in the opening game as she took on the second seed shot-for-shot, and even had her opponent surprised by the quality of some of her winners. Rakshitha led 7-3 in Game 2 but from there it was one-way traffic as Busanan brought out all the tricks from her bag of deceptive strokes, troubling the Indian with her holds-and-flicks, slices and half smashes. In the mixed doubles, fifth-seeded Indian duo of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto lost to Malaysia's Jimmy Wong and Lai Pei Jing 21-19, 13-21, 18-21. In the men's doubles, Pruthvi Roy and K. Sai Pratheek lost to fourth-seeded Junaidi Arif and Roy King Yap of Malaysia 18-21, 18-21. In the women's doubles, Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra lost 14-21, 12-21 against Meilysa Puspitasari and Rachel Rose of Indonesia.
News18
12 hours ago
- Sport
- News18
Trupti Murgunde's Biggest Learning From Sport: 'Hang On & Don't Give Up'
Ex-shuttler Trupti Murgunde has highlighted perseverance through adversities as her key learning from sports, aiding her professional life after retirement. Former Indian shuttler and two-time South Asian Games gold medallist Trupti Murgunde has said that her biggest learning from playing sports was to keep going no matter the adversities, adding that this mantra has helped her in daily professional life even after retirement from badminton. Known for her deceptive strokes, Murgunde bagged six international titles in singles as well as in BWF events from 1999 to 2014. 'While I was actively playing, we would win and lose on the same day and still come back the next day and repeat the process. Still to hang on and not give up is something I learnt," Murgunde said while speaking at the SheShakti 2025 Mumbai Edition. 'Now, when I have been working for Indian Oil for 22 years in an administrative role, it helps me so much. Whenever I am facing any issues or match up with my colleagues because I come from a sports background, I just think about those learnings and come back afresh," Murgunde added. Trupti trained in Pune under Vasant Gore from the age of nine during her initial years before moving out to Prakash Padukone Academy in Bengaluru and getting coached under the former shuttler and Vimal Kumar in Bengaluru where she has been residing since 1999. Trupti went on to become the National Champion in junior category. She was conferred the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement by the President of India on August in 2020. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
