Indian badminton star Chirag Shetty, one-half of the renowned men’s doubles duo ‘Sat-Chi’ with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, has opened up about their disappointing quarterfinal exit at the Paris Olympics 2024. Despite a strong start in the knockout stage, Satwik and Chirag’s Olympic medal hopes were dashed with a 21-13, 14-21, 16-21 loss.
Speaking to ANI, Shetty expressed his disappointment over the quarterfinal exit, attributing it to “unlucky points and missed opportunities” in the third game. However, he remains optimistic about the duo’s future prospects, stating, “We really wanted to go out there and win a medal for our country. Things did not go our way in the third game, but we gave it our all. Maybe next time around we will come with a medal.”
Shetty also revealed that he and Satwiksairaj are eager to return to action next month, with the latter currently undergoing rehabilitation for an injury. He praised their former coach, Mathias Boe, for his significant contributions to their success, saying, “When we started working with him, we were ranked eighth or ninth in the world. The journey from there to the number one spot, winning Asian Games gold, Thomas Cup, was a very fruitful journey.”
Under Boe’s guidance, ‘Sat-Chi’ became a dominant force in badminton, securing multiple BWF titles, gold medals at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, the maiden Thomas Cup title, bronze at the World Championships, and gold at the Asian Championships. They also became the first Indian men’s pair to achieve the top spot in BWF Rankings and secure a BWF Super 1000 title by winning the Indonesia Open last year.
Despite the setback at the Olympics, Shetty and Satwiksairaj remain determined to achieve their Olympic dream. They are currently working hard to improve their game and are confident of making a strong comeback.
