Which Indian shuttlers have won medals at BWF World Championships?

The country has won a total of 13 medals at the event.

The BWF World Championships are regarded as one of the most coveted titles in the sport of badminton. It is the dream of every shuttler to achieve success at this tournament and represent their country on the world stage. The competition is tough, as it attracts the best players across the globe. The event is held annually, apart from the Olympic year, but 2021 is an exception.

For India, this has been a rather successful event. Eight Indian shuttlers have won a total of 12 medals at the event, with the first medal coming in 1983. The country has won medals in the men's singles, women's singles and women's doubles categories.

On that note, here is a look at all the Indian medal winners at the BWF World Championships:

Prakash Padukone

The first Indian badminton player to win a medal at the BWF World Championships was Prakash Padukone. He secured a bronze medal in the men’s singles category in 1983.

He lost to Indonesia’s Icuk Sugiarto to settle for the bronze medal. Father of the famous Indian actress Deepika Padukone, Prakash is hailed as one of the forefathers of Indian badminton.

Jwala Gutta & Ashwini Ponappa

The female pairing of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa broke a long drought at the BWF World Championships to win bronze in women’s doubles. This was the country's first medal in 28 years.

They secured the podium finish during the 2011 edition of the tournament and became the first doubles team to do so. To this day, the pair’s bronze is the sole doubles category medal at the World Championships for India. 

PV Sindhu

Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu is the most decorated Indian shuttler at the BWF World Championships. She has a total of five medals yet, which includes two bronzes (2013,2014), two silvers (2017,2018) and one gold (2019).

She is the only Indian to win gold at the event. However, she returned empty-handed in 2021 after she was ousted in the quarter-finals.

Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal was the first Indian shuttler to win a silver medal at the BWF World Championships. She is regarded as the inspiration behind the numerous badminton players who are setting the stage alight on the international circuit, becoming the first Indian woman to win a singles medal at the event. Nehwal won the silver medal during the 2015 edition and went on to win a bronze in 2017 as well.

B Sai Praneeth

B. Sai Praneeth became the first male shuttler to win a medal after Prakash Padukone’s heroics back in 1983. The player secured a bronze in the men’s singles category during the 2019 edition of the BWF World Championships.

Kento Momota of Japan was his opponent in the semi-final, who proved to be too strong for the Indian. Therefore, he had to settle for a bronze medal, but impressed everyone with his display.

Kidambi Srikanth

One of the best performers at the 2021 edition, Kidambi Srikanth has at least one medal secured. He will become the first male shuttler to win either a silver or gold medal at the World Championships.

The former World No.1 reached the final by defeating compatriot Lakshya Sen and became the first Indian male shuttler to do so.

Lakshya Sen

Lakshya Sen is one of India’s most promising young badminton players. He has improved his game gradually over the past year and registered his most impressive display yet at the 2021 BWF World Championships.

The 20-year-old reached the semi-final where he came up against Kidambi Srikanth. The contest was fierce, but resulted in a defeat for Sen, who bagged a bronze medal for himself. 

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