HANGZHOU: India’s ace shuttlers Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinched a historic gold in men’s doubles at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Saturday.
The Indian pair defeated South Korea’s Solgyu Choi and Wonho Kim 21-18, 21-16 in 57 minutes to become the first-ever Indian badminton pair to win gold at the Asian Games.
In the first set, the South Korean pair was leading 18-15. However, the star Indian duo stormed back into the contest, producing scintillating badminton to win six straight points and eventually take the opening set 21-18.
After winning the first game, Satwiksairaj-Chirag did not look back and the duo moved through the gears in the second to win the gold medal match in straight sets.
“India’s Historic Gold in Badminton @satwiksairaj and @Shettychirag04 soar to victory in the Badminton Men’s Doubles finals, clinching the coveted Gold Medal for the first time ever in the Asian Games history. Their incredible teamwork and unwavering spirit have made India proud on the international stage. Let’s celebrate this historic win and salute their exceptional talent!,” Sports Authority of India (SAI) posted on X.\
Satwik and Chirag duo became the first Indian pair to enter the Asian Games men’s doubles final, on Friday.
They defeated Olympic champions Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik of Malaysia in the semifinal. The eventual scoreline read 21-17, 21-12 in favour of the Indian pair.
The Malaysian duo did pose a challenge in the first set, which lasted 24 minutes.
In the second set, they found it hard to match the intensity of the Indian duo as they won it 21-12 in 23 minutes. (ANI)