Ten medals in ten years and the Indians are yearning for more as the BWF World Championships kick off in Copenhagen on Monday. Led by the indomitable PV Sindhu, Indian shuttlers ruled the roost at the Worlds, winning at least a medal at every edition since 2013.
Sindhu opened the tally with a bronze at Guangzhou and pocketed five medals including a gold and a silver.
All eyes will be on the men's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Ranked No.2 in the world, the pair is on the cusp of glory as a gold medal will also catapult them to the top of the world rankings.
With the terrific form they are in, they can become the first Indian pair to win a doubles gold and also become No.1.
Chief coach Pullela Gopichand said that they can beat any pair in the world now. "They are in such great form that they can beat any team. They are already No.2 and I am confident that they will bag the big prize," Gopichand said.
As several big teams are in the top-half of the draw, Satwik-Chirag are expected to reach the semifinals without breaking much sweat. The reigning Asian champions are in the form of their life and barring an upset, they should be finishing on the top of the podium.
A semifinal appearance will ensure a bronze at the Worlds.
Prannoy may find it difficult
HS Prannoy, the most consistent singles shuttler, would be ruing his luck. The Malaysia Masters champion is the best Indian bet in men's singles. But the Kerala lad will be running into the imperious Viktor Axelsen of Denmark in the quarterfinals. The reigning world and Olympic champion looks unbeatable at the moment.
Prannoy’s path to the quarterfinals is also not easy as he may face Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo of Indonesia in the second round and former world champion Loh Kean Yew of Singapore in the pre-quarterfinals.
The other two Indians, Kidambi Srikanth and Lakshya got a better draw. Srikanth, a silver medallist at the 2021 Worlds, is expected to reach the quarterfinals as his likely opponent in the pre-quarterfinals Antony Sinisuka Ginting pulled out of the event. The second seeded Indonesian is grieving the loss of his mother who passed away on August 9.
Lakshya too looks unstoppable till the pre-quarterfinals. At the last-16 stage, he may square up against third seed Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand. Lakshya had beaten Vitidsarn a few times and if he manages to do it again he will have a great chance of winning another medal.
Tough for Sindhu
The most successful Indian at the Worlds, Sindhu got a very difficult draw. She got a bye in the first round and is likely to face former world champion Ratchanok Intanon. Beating the Thai may not be difficult but waiting for her in the quarterfinals would be top seed An Se Young. The South Korean shuttler never lost to Sindhu in six meetings. But Sindhu has always been a big tournament player and would be banking on that reputation to upset An.
Women's doubles team of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand have to punch above their weight as they may meet Chen Chinese top seeds Qing Chen and Jia Yi Fan in the third round.
Gopichand is expecting a rich medal haul. “Our players have been doing quite well in the categories. I am expecting medals from many of them. Sindhu is a big tournament player and excelled at major events defying odds. Srikanth, Lakshya and Prannoy had won several close matches against top opponents,” said Gopi, refusing to answer on how many medals India would win.
“I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on my players. They have pulled off several close matches against tough opponents and I am confident that they would live up to the expectations,” he added.
A PEEP INTO HISTORY
- BWF World Championships started in 1977 and was then known as IBF World Championships
- It was held once every three years until 1983.
- IBF faced difficulty hosting the first two events as World Badminton Federation which later merged with IBF hosted the same event.
- Since 1985 it became a biennial event until 2005.
- From 2006 the tournament became an annual event on the BWF calendar.
- It is not conducted during the Olympic year to avoid schedule conflicts.
- Chinese shuttlers won 69 golds, the maximum at this event.
- Indonesia was second with 23 golds.
- PV Sindhu was the only Indian to win a gold at the Worlds.
ROLL OF HONOUR FOR INDIA AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Gold
2019: PV Sindhu (Women's singles)
Silver
2021: Kidambi Srikanth (Men's singles)
2018: PV Sindhu (Women's singles)
2017: PV Sindhu (Women's singles)
2015: Saina Nehwal (Women's singles)
Bronze
2022: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty (Men's doubles).
2021: Lakshya Sen (Men's singles).
2017: Saina Nehwal (Women's singles).
2014: PV Sindhu (Women's singles)
2013: PV Sindhu (Women's singles)
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS
Men’s Singles: Viktor Axelsen, Denmark
Women’s Singles: Akane Yamaguchi, Japan
Men’s Doubles: Aaron Chia/Soh Wooi Yik, Malaysia
Women’s Doubles: Chen Qing Chen/Jia Yi Fan, China
Mixed Doubles: Zheng Si Wei/Huang Ya Qiong, China
