The stage is set for the much-anticipated badminton action at the Paris Olympics. India fielded a seven-member contingent this time, a record-equalling number for the country.
This was only the second time since badminton’s debut at the Olympics in 1992 that India achieved this milestone, having previously sent seven shuttlers to the 2016 Rio Olympics, the current squad shoulders the expectations of a billion.
Since the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, India transformed into a badminton powerhouse, clinching victories at the Thomas Cup, Badminton Asia Championships, and Commonwealth Games.
These triumphs have not only elevated India’s badminton stature but have also ignited the nation’s passion.
As the Indian shuttlers gear up to throng the Porte de la Chapelle Arena from July 27 to August 5, the stakes are high.
Can India’s badminton stars live up to the hype and deliver a record-breaking medal haul? Only time will tell.
World No. 1 a year ago and World No. 3 now, India’s men’s doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are in great form and strongest medal contenders from an Indian perspective.
After a promising performance in Tokyo, where they narrowly missed out on advancing past the group stage due to their straight-game defeat to Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, they have made remarkable progress in their career.
Since 2022 Satwik and Chirag have been on the rise. They played a pivotal role in India’s Thomas Cup triumph, the World Championship for men’s team.
Since that victory, they have been on a rampage, winning the Commonwealth Games gold, World Championships bronze, French Open, Indonesia Open, Asian Games gold, and Korea Open.
That they won they won the French Open for the second time this year at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena in what was a testing event for the Paris Olympics, it made Satwik and Chirag the favourite for the gold medal.
In this edition, they have been handed a favourable draw. Anything less than a medal from them would be a surprise.
Meanwhile, PV Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medallist, has made her yearning clear: she wants to win a medal and complete a hat-trick in Paris.
Sindhu has been handed a relatively easy draw.
However, her real challenge lies in the later stages, where she might face formidable opponents like He Bing Jiao, Chen Yu Fei, An Se Young, and Carolina Marin who might create roadblocks to her road to the podium.
In men’s singles, HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen will look to take the challenge to their opponents. They have already defeated the big boys of world badminton.
Although they have been a little rusty of late due to injuries forcing them away from the court, a successful group-stage campaign could put them against each other in the Round of 16. Both players underwent intense training to get back in shape before the Olympics.
For the women’s doubles pairing of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa, formed just a year ago, the Paris Olympics present them a chance to spring a surprise or two.
They have been drawn in a strong group, featuring World No. 4 four Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida and World No. 7 Kim So Yeong and Kong Hee Yong.
Given their recent forms and surge to the top 20 of BWF World Rankings, they could be a surprise package at the Olympics.
Indian Badminton Squad for 2024 Paris Olympics:
Men’s Singles: HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen
Women’s Singles: PV Sindhu
Men’s doubles: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty
Women’s Doubles: TAnisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa
Schedule:
27th July (Saturday)
Men’s Doubles Group Stage: Satwik-Chirag vs Corvee-Labar (FRA) (Not before 8:00 PM)
Women’s Doubles Group Stage: Tanisha-Ponnappa vs Kim-Kong (KOR) (Not before 11:50 PM)
Men’s Singles Group Stage: Lakshya Sen vs Kevin Cordon (GUA) (Not before 5:30 PM)
28th July (Sunday)
Women’s Singles Group Stage: PV Sindhu vs Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq (MDV) (Not before 12:50 PM)
Men’s Singles Group Stage- HS Prannoy vs Fabian Roth (GER) (Not before 8:00 PM)
29th July (Monday)
Men’s Doubles: Satwik-Chirag vs Lamsfuss-Seidel (Not before 12:00 PM)
Women’s Doubles: Tanisha-Ashwini vs Matsuyama-Shida (Not before 12:50 PM)
Men’s Singles: Lakshya vs Carragi (Not before 5:30 PM)
1st August (Thursday)
Women’s Doubles Quarter Finals: 12:00 PM and 1:10 PM
Men’s Doubles Quarter Finals: 4:30 PM and 5:40 PM
Women’s Singles Round of 16: 10:00 PM and 11:00 PM
Men’s Singles Round of 16: 1:10 PM, 5:40 PM and 6:50 PM
2nd August (Friday)
Women’s Doubles Semifinals: 12:00 PM, 1:10 PM, 2:20 PM and 3:30 PM.
3rd August (Saturday)
Women’s Singles Quarterfinals: 12:00 PM, 1:10 PM, 2:20 PM and 3:30 PM.
Women’s Doubles Bronze medal playoff: 6:30 PM
Women’s Doubles Final– 7:40 PM
4th August (Sunday)
Women’s Singles Semifinals- 12:00 PM and 1:10 PM
Men’s Singles Semifinals: 2:20 PM and 3:30 PM
Men’s Doubles Bronze Medal Playoff: 6:30 PM
Men’s Doubles Final: 7:40 PM
5th August (Monday)
Women’s Singles Bronze Medal Playoff: 1:15 PM
Women’s Singles Final: 2:25 PM
Men’s Singles Bronze Medal Playoff: 6:00 PM
Men’s Singles Final: 7:10 PM
Indian Badminton at the Olympics
For India, badminton has been a go-to sport for medals, especially for women athletes. Since the 2012 London Olympics, Indian women’s shuttlers have secured three consecutive medals in badminton.
The journey started with Saina Nehwal, who bagged a bronze at the London 2012 Olympics after her opponent retired due to injury.
Her success paved the way for Sindhu, who captured the country’s imagination with a silver medal at Rio 2016 after finishing second best in a thrilling final against Carolina Marin.
Sindhu continued her stellar run by winning a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, becoming the first Indian woman to claim two Olympic medals in badminton.
With hours to go before badminton matches begin in Paris, the excitement is building.
