New Delhi: Indian shuttler Satwiksairaj Rankireddy expressed pain of losing out in the quarterfinal of men’s doubles event at the Paris Olympics 2024. World No.3 pair of Satwik and Chirag were considered as medal favourites for India at the Summer Games but they crashed out to eventual bronze medallist Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the last 8 stage by 21-13 14-21 16-21 despite early lead in the encounter.
The Malaysian pair reggrouped and bettered their tactics to come hard with a flurry of ferocious strokes against the Indians. Despite winning last three matches between the two pairs, Indian shuttlers couldn’t handle the nerves of the big occasion and that’s where they were beaten.
A week after the heartbreak, Andhra Pradesh badminton player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy said that they were deeply hurt by the loss but promised to comeback stronger by starting from the scratch.
“We gave it our all, training tirelessly to bring a medal home for India at the Olympics. Unfortunately, we fell short in the quarterfinals. The pain is real and I feel it deeply – the road ahead starts from ground zero. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone,” the 23-year-old wrote on his X account (formerly known as Twitter).
We gave it our all, training tirelessly to bring a medal home for India at the Olympics.
Unfortunately, we fell short in the quarterfinals. The pain is real and I feel it deeply – the road ahead starts from ground zero.
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/hvdTwTsnUh
— Satwik SaiRaj Rankireddy (@satwiksairaj) August 10, 2024
A quick look at Indian badminton’s performance at Paris Olympics 2024
A seven-member Indian contingent went to the French capital but none finished on the podium. 22-year-old Lakshya Sen was the nearest to win a medal but his loss to Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in the bronze medal playoff meant India will return empty-handed in badminton for the first time in 12 years.
Double-Olympic medallist PV Sindhu reached the Round of 16 but lost to China’s He Bing Jiao in straight games of Round of 16 in the women’s singles. HS Prannoy’s journey also ended in the Round of 16 after defeat to compatriot Sen.
Satwik and Chirag became the first Indian pair to reach the quarterfinal of men’s doubles before losing in the same. In women’s doubles, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto failed to advance to the knockout stage after losing all three of their Group C matches.
Indian shuttler Satwiksairaj Rankireddy expressed pain of losing out in the quarterfinal of men’s doubles event at the Paris Olympics 2024. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
