India has been having a tough time at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with shooting stars Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh and Swapnil Kusale securing three bronze medals in total. Apart from these wins, the Indian contingent faced many disappointments, especially in badminton.
The Indian badminton contingent had high hopes but ultimately fell short. Lakshya Sen’s loss to Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in the bronze medal match was a significant blow, confirming that India would not take home any badminton medals.
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P.V. Sindhu, a top contender, lost to China’s He Bing Jiao in the Round of 16 in the women’s singles.
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In the men’s doubles quarterfinals, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were defeated by Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. H.S. Prannoy was eliminated by his compatriot Lakshya Sen in the Round of 16, and Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto didn’t make it past the Group Stage in the women’s doubles event, reported NDTV.
Indian badminton legend Prakash Padukone, who has been coaching and mentoring the team, expressed his disappointment. Padukone emphasized that the players had all the necessary support and resources to perform at their best.
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“All the support and finances needed to perform at the top level were given to the Indian players. It’s not like earlier times when our players lacked facilities and funds. So, it’s high time our players step up and win as expected,” he said.
Prakash Padukone, a former world-class player himself, added that this time, the government, SAI and the sports ministry did their best to ensure that the demands of the players were met. He expressed that players need to take accountability because they were given enough resources.
“I am a little disappointed in our performance that we could not even get a single medal from Badminton. Like I have said before, we were contenders for three medals so at least one would have made me happy. But having said this, this time the Government, Sports Authority of India, and Sports Ministry everybody has done their best and I don’t think anyone could have done anything more than what the Government has done so I think the players also need to take responsibility.”
#WATCH | Paris, France: On Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen losing the bronze medal match to Malaysia’s Zii Jia Lee in Badminton Men’s singles at Paris Olympics, former Badminton player Prakash Padukone says, “He played well. I am a little disappointed as he could not finish it.… pic.twitter.com/BnaWQTHz0g
— ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2024
What went wrong for the Indian badminton contingent despite having all the necessary support and resources?