Asian Champion Satwiksairaj Rankireddy eyes another big milestone after BAC 2023 win

Indian badminton duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy silenced the crowd in Dubai as they made history after becoming the first Indian badminton team to win the Badminton Asia Championships. The Indian pair defeated the Malaysian pair of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee by 16-21, 21-17, 21-19 in the nail-biting final. 

After the final, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy expressed his spirits after creating history and also stated that the win will be a tremendous boost for the Olympic eligibility. 

"Personally, for me, it will take a lot of time to believe that we are the Asian champions. I still don't believe we are Thomas Cup champions. It's our dream to win for India and make the flag fly high. Good boost for us as we go into the Olympic qualification period," Rankireddy remarked in a press conference after capturing the championship

“I am grateful for all the support we have got during the Badminton Asia Championships. It’s a great feeling to win this tournament for the first time and I am sure we will win more such titles in the future. We will continue to work hard to bring laurels to the country," Rankireddy further added. 

Before the duo, former Indian badminton player Dinesh Khanna was the only player to secure a gold for India in the Asian Badminton Championships back in the year 1965. He defeated Sangob Rattanusorn by 15–3 and 15–11 in the finals held at Lucknow. 

India’s best showcase in the doubles category at the Asian Championships came in the year 1971 when the Indian pair of Raman Ghosh and Dipu Ghosh ended up winning the bronze medal. 

Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy create history

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

Other than the gold at the Asian Championships, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have also won gold in the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, and other than this they have also won five major titles for India in their badminton career.