Indian badminton stars Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s Olympic dream was shattered in the men’s doubles quarterfinals at the Paris Games on Thursday. The duo, who were among the favorites for the gold medal, fell to Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in a thrilling three-set encounter.
Satwik and Chirag, the reigning Asian Games champions and Commonwealth Games winners, started the match strongly, taking the first game 21-13. However, the Malaysian pair, who are the 2022 world champions and Tokyo Games bronze medalists, fought back to win the second game 21-14.
The third game was a closely contested affair, with both pairs trading blows. However, Aaron and Chia eventually prevailed 21-16, ending Satwik and Chirag’s hopes of an Olympic medal.
The Indian duo had been in impressive form leading up to the Olympics, winning the Asian Games title in 2022 and the Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2023. They were also ranked among the top three pairs in the world.
Despite their disappointing exit, Satwik and Chirag have established themselves as one of the most promising badminton pairs in the world. They will be hoping to bounce back from this setback and continue their quest for Olympic glory in the future.
