Why 2024 was a year of disappointment for Indian badminton?

Medal favourites Satwik-Chirag’s Olympic dream ended in quarter-final heartbreak.

India began the 2024 season on a high, claiming a historic win at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Malaysia on February 18, 2024. In a thrilling final, they defeated Thailand 3-2. Spearheaded by the stellar performances of PV Sindhu and the young Anmol Kharb, the team secured the title for the first time in the tournament’s history.

However, the momentum quickly slowed for Indian badminton. With Olympics on the horizon and a Thomas Cup title to defend, expectations were high. Unfortunately, 2024 was marred by inconsistent performances in major tournaments, missed opportunities, and an inability to build on earlier success.

Lakshya Sen became a household name in India, making an impressive yet unfortunate debut at the Paris Olympics. After defeating Jonatan Christie in the group stage, he advanced to the quarterfinals and went on to beat Taipei’s Chou Tien-chen, becoming the first Indian man to reach the semifinals of the Olympics in badminton.

While individual performances occasionally sparkled, overall consistency was a major concern. The over-reliance on a few key players like Satwik-Chirag, two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, and Lakshya Sen highlighted India’s lack of depth on the global circuit.

Here’s a look at why 2024 was a disappointing year for Indian badminton:

Olympic setbacks

The Paris 2024 Olympics were expected to be the peak of the year for Indian badminton, with medal contenders in both singles and doubles. However, the results were far from what was anticipated:

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, widely considered one of the world’s best men’s doubles pairs, fell in the quarterfinals, losing to Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. This was especially disheartening as the duo entered the tournament as medal favourites after a strong 2023.

Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, was knocked out early in the Round of 16, suffering a convincing defeat to China’s He Bing Jiao. This raised concerns over her waning form against top-level opposition.

India’s singles hopes, including Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy, showed flashes of promise but ultimately failed to secure a podium finish, leaving fans disappointed.

Also Read: Indian athletes who finished fourth at Paris Olympics 2024

Thomas Cup disappointment

India’s groundbreaking 2022 Thomas Cup victory set a high bar but hopes of defending the title in 2024 quickly faltered. The Indian men’s team defeated Thailand and England but was ultimately bested by Indonesia in their final group-stage match. Despite qualifying for the quarterfinals, their campaign ended there.

In the quarterfinals, India were defeated 1-3 by host nation China. Prannoy lost to Shi Yuqi in a closely contested three-set match. Satwik-Chirag also fell in a tough three-set battle to world No. #1 Liang and Wang.

India showed some hope when Lakshya triumphed over then-world No. #4 Li Shi Feng, but the team was ultimately overwhelmed by China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Ju, who defeated Dhruv Kapila and Sai Pratheek to seal the 3-1 victory.

Also Read: Top 10 best moments in Indian sports in 2024

Underwhelming BWF World Tour performances

Indian shuttlers participated in several World Tour events, but titles were few and far in between. Of the eight titles India won this year, three came from Super 100 tournaments, while another three were secured at the Syed Modi International, a tournament with a lower level of competition compared to Super 500, 750, and 1000 events.

However, Satwik and Chirag delivered strong performances, clinching the French Open Super 750 and Thailand Open Super 500 titles.

Sindhu continued to struggle at the bigger tournaments, with her only notable win coming at the Syed Modi International. In women’s singles, Malvika Bansod showed promise, defeating notable opponents such as Scotland’s Kirsty Gilmour and Olympic bronze medalist Gregoria Mariska Tunjung at the China Open, but ultimately fell short in the quarterfinals.

Malvika made it to the final of the Hylo Open 2024, becoming only the third Indian women’s singles player, after Saina Nehwal and Sindhu, to reach the final of a BWF World Tour event held outside India.

The BWF World Tour Finals ended in disappointment, with India’s sole qualified players in women’s doubles, Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, failing to advance past the group stage despite an impressive win over Paris semifinalists Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan.

Also Read: Top 10 badminton players who retired in 2024

Junior World Championships struggles

India’s struggles extended to the BWF Junior World Championships, where for the first time in years, the country failed to win a medal. This lack of standout performances raised concerns about the development of future talent.

Three Indian shuttlers—Pranay Shettigar, Aalisha Naik, and Tanvi Sharma made it to the quarterfinals of their respective events. Though they did not progress further, their quarterfinal finishes were India’s best result in the 2024 Junior World Championships.

The fall in form of Srikanth Kidambi, once a key figure in Indian badminton, deepens concerns about the future of the sport in India. While players like Tanvi Sharma, Anupama Upadhyaya, Anmol Kharb, and Malvika Bansod provided hope for the future, India must address issues such as player fatigue, injuries, and a lack of depth if it hopes to regain its position as a dominant force in global badminton.

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