Badminton Asia Junior Championships: Bornil Changmai wins first boys' U15 singles title after 10 years, Tanvi Sharma settles for silver

Sharma is also the second Indian to win silver in girls' u17 singles category.

Bornil Aakash Changmai extended his remarkable form to win the second-ever gold medal for India in the U15 boys' singles division while Tanvi Sharma clinched a silver on Sunday at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Chengdu, China.

Hailing from Assam, Bornil, the top-ranked Indian U-15 boys' singles shuttler further solidified his reputation on the Asian stage by defeating Fan Hong Xuan of China.

Indian shuttlers have played brilliantly in China against the top players of the world in recent times and Bornil also displayed the same composure and skill, particularly in a tightly contested first game, and proceeded to assert his dominance in the second game, ultimately clinching victory with scores of 21-19, 21-13 in straight games.

Meanwhile, Tanvi Sharma went down 17-21, 21-11, 19-21 against Yataweemin Ketklieng of Thailand in the final to settle for a silver medal. Tanvi began the match on a slow note with the scoreboard reading 17-21 in favor of her opponent. She fought hard to stage a comeback by winning her second game by 21-11. 

Her efforts fell just short as she narrowly lost 19-21 the decider after a tough fightback. She has become the second U17 girls' singles shuttler to secure a silver medal, following in the footsteps of Unnati Hooda, who had previously earned silver in the same category.

Indian badminton has been scaling new heights in recent years marked by a string of remarkable victories in various high-profile competitions. Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy now hold the distinction of being the world's number-one men's doubles pair in the BWF rankings.

Their stellar 2023 performance, which included a historic gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games in the individual event and a silver in the team competition, contributed to their top ranking. Prannoy HS has also been a standout, earning bronze medals at both the World Championships and the Asian Games individual event in China.

The remarkable success story extends to the junior circuit as well, where Ayush Shetty secured a prestigious bronze in the BWF World Junior Championships and now Bornil Changmai also shone brightly by clinching a gold medal in the U15 boys' singles category at the Badminton Asia U17 and U15 Junior Championships.