Badminton Asia Championship: Satwiksairaj-Chirag Clinch Historic Doubles Gold

Dubai: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty scripted history by being the first doubles team to win a gold medal at the Badminton Asia Championships. One Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi of Malaysia, who were rated 8th overall, were beaten by the World No. 6 pair in a thrilling three-game match at Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall, Al Nasr Club.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost the first game, but they rallied from a deficit of 7-13 in the second game to win astonishingly in three games of 16-21, 21-17, and 21-19 in an hour and seven minutes.

IT’S A GOLD 🥹

The wait of 58 years finally comes to an end as our very own Sat-Chi clinch the historic 🥇 medal. 2️⃣nd for 🇮🇳 after 1965, 1️⃣st in MD category 🥳🥳

📸: @badmintonphoto @himantabiswa | @sanjay091968 | @lakhaniarun1 #BAC2023#IndiaontheRise#Badminton pic.twitter.com/3NQbqwy7al

— BAI Media (@BAI_Media) April 30, 2023

Following Dinesh Khanna’s men’s singles gold medal in 1965, Satwik and Chirag gave India its lone other gold medal at the Badminton Asia Championships.

Badminton Association of India president Himanta Biswa Sarma announced Rs 20 lakh as prize money for the historic gold medalists.

Satwik and Chirag’s 2023 victory was their first major championship following an incredible 2022 in which they won the Thomas Cup and brought home the gold at the Commonwealth Games.