Indian men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won gold after beating the Malaysian pair of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi 16-21, 21-17, 21-19 in the final of the Badminton Asia Championships in Dubai on April 30. The World No. 6 Indian pair defeated the 8th-ranked Malaysian pair in a stunning three-game battle at Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall, Al Nasr Club.
The Sunday’s match was interesting throughout, as both the pairs balanced the scores. From 1-1 to 10-10, the pairs moved neck and neck. Rankireddy and Shetty conceded the opening game, but fought back from 7-13 in the second game to complete a dramatic win in an hour and 7 minutes.
The pair won India its only second gold medal at the Badminton Asia Championships after Dinesh Khanna’s men’s singles Gold medal in 1965. This is another big win for the Indian duo, whose performance last year helped India win the Thomas Cup for the first time. In 2022, the pair also won gold in men’s doubles at the Commonwealth Games and a bronze at the World Championships in Tokyo.
Since 1962, India has won two gold and 16 bronze medals at the continental Championships in various events.
