Indian shuttlers who medalled in BWF World Championships

PV Sindhu is the first and only Indian to win gold at the competition.

The BWF World Championships is one of the biggest tournaments in the sport of badminton. The prestigious competition has witnessed many Indians win medal in its grand stage, starting with Prakash Padukone in 1983.

It took India another 28 years to medal again in the BWF World Championships, but since then they have won at least one medal in every edition.

India’s run of medalling in 12 consecutive editions of the BWF World Championships was set off by the women’s doubles pair of Jwala Gutta/Ashwini Ponnappa when they clinched a bronze medal in 2011. With that they had become the first Indian doubles pair (in any category) to win a medal in the tournament.

Only PV Sindhu has managed to clinch the gold medal for India at the BWF World Championships. She achieved this feat in 2019 after consecutive silver and bronze medal wins in previous editions.

The 2023 edition saw HS Prannoy put his name among the medallist, while two years later Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty became only the third Indians overall and first doubles pair from India to win multiple medals in the competition, following their bronze medal-wins in 2022 and 2025.

Here is a look at the Indians who won medals at the tournament in the past:

India shuttlers who have medalled in BWF World Championships

1983 – Prakash Padukone

Prakash Padukone became the first Indian shuttler to win a medal at the BWF World Championships by securing a bronze in men’s singles. He remains one of the greatest badminton players that India has ever produced.

2011 – Jwala Gutta/Ashwini Ponappa

India had to wait many years to see another medalist from the country at the BWF World Championships. In 2011, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa won the bronze in the women’s doubles category.

En route, they became the first-ever pair to win a medal in the doubles category for India at the BWF World Championships and remain the only women’s pair to medal till date.

2013 – PV Sindhu

Two years later, PV Sindhu became the first-ever woman from India to win a medal in the singles category at the World Championships. She won bronze for the country, her first-ever medal on the world stage. 

Also Read: BWF World Championships: Full list of title winners

2014 – PV Sindhu

Sindhu replicated her performance from a year prior at the 2014 edition. She won the bronze in Women’s Singles at the 2014 BWF World Championships, adding a second successive medal to her tally.

2015 – Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal joined Sindhu as the only other woman badminton player to win a World Championships medal in the singles category. She won the silver in 2015 (the first Indian to do so), impressing the fans back home.

2017 – Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu

Two years later, Saina Nehwal would go on to win her second medal at the BWF World Championships. She won the bronze in women’s singles at the 2017 edition. In the same edition, Sindhu would join Nehwal as the second woman shuttler to win a silver medal at the tournament.

2018 – PV Sindhu

There was only one medallist from India at the 2018 BWF World Championships. Sindhu won the silver for India, adding a fourth World Championships medal to her tally.

2019 – PV Sindhu and B. Sai Praneeth

Sindhu created history by becoming the first Indian shuttler to win gold at the BWF World Championships in 2019. She won gold in the women’s singles category and won a medal for the third year in a row on the world stage.

Furthermore, B Sai Praneeth won the bronze in men’s singles, becoming the first men’s athlete to win a World Championship medal since Prakash Padukone in 1983.

Also Read: Most memorable moments in PV Sindhu’s career

2021 – Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth

The year 2021 was magnificent for male shuttlers in particular at the World Championships. While Lakshya Sen won the bronze, his first-ever medal at the tournament, Kidambi Srikanth won the silver (also his first) in Men’s Singles, becoming the first man to win silver at the World Championships.

2022 – Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy

At the 2022 BWF World Championships, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy made history by winning the bronze in men’s doubles, becoming the first Indian men’s pair to do so. 

2023 – HS Prannoy

HS Prannoy joined this exclusive list after clinching a bronze medal in the 2023 edition of the Championships.

Prannoy assured himself a medal by reaching the semi-finals following a stunning win over Viktor Axelsen. However, he had to settle for a bronze medal after his defeat to Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the semi-final stage.

His bronze medal made Prannoy only fifth Indian male shuttler to win a medal in the BWF World Championships.

2025 – Chirag Shetty/Satwiksairaj Rankireddy

At the 2025 BWF World Championships in Paris, Satwik-Chirag became the latest Indians to medal in the event, winning the bronze in men’s doubles to match their feat from 2022. The Indian duo lost in the semi-finals to China’s Chen Boyang and Liu Yi with a scoreline of 19–21, 21–18, 12–21.

This marked their second World Championships bronze, reaffirming their status as one of the top men’s doubles pairs in the world.

It also helped India extend their run of medalling in every edition of the competition since 2011. Only China are the other nation to achieve this feat.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram