Paris Olympics 2024: Disappointment For India As Satwik-Chirag Lose The Badminton Doubles Quarter-Final

Thursday, August 1st, has brought significant disappointments for the Indian contingent. Two of India’s main medal contenders, Nikhat Zareen and Satwik-Chirag, have been knocked out of the tournament. Nikhat Zareen, featuring in her debut Olympic Games, lost in the second round in the women’s 50 kg category. Satwik-Chirag, the star Indian shuttler duo, meanwhile, faced defeat in the quarter-final of the Men’s Doubles tournament in Badminton. In another update, the Indian Men’s Hockey team faced a 2-1 defeat against Belgium in the Pool B match. Thankfully, the team has already qualified for the quarter-finals, so despite the defeat, Team India is still in the running at the tournament.

Nikhat Zareen Knocked Out Of The Paris Olympics

Nikhat Zareen debuted in the Olympics in the 50 kg category, taking on Germany’s Maxi Kloetzer in her first round. The Indian won the match with a 5-0 consensus from the judges. However, in the Round of 16, Zareen was pitted against China’s Wu Yu. Despite some initial misjudgments from Wu Yu, Zareen took punches on her headgear, immediately shifting into defensive mode thereafter. Wu Yu won the first round 4-1, quickly backing it up with a 3-2 win in the second round. Eventually, Zareen had to face a 5-0 defeat against the Chinese boxer. Now, Lovlina Borgohain will solely lead India’s chances in the women’s boxing event at the Paris Olympics.

Heartbreak For India: Satwik-Chirag Eliminated After A Quarter-Final Defeat Against Malaysia

Going into the Olympics, the Men’s Doubles duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy turned up as one of the key contenders carrying India’s medal hopes. Building on their reputation, Satwik-Chirag registered easy wins over their opponents in the group stage at the Paris Olympics. However, the pair went down against Malaysia’s unseeded Soh Woo Yik and Chia Aaron in the quarter-final.

Satwik-Chirag started the quarter-final clash with dominance over the Malaysian pair. The duo achieved an early advantage, winning the opening set 21-13. However, the following sets staged a remarkable challenge for the Indian pair. The Malaysian duo owned the second set through and through, winning 21-14 and taking the match to the third set. Registering a 5-3 lead early on, Malaysia set the tone for a win in the third set. Though Satwik-Chirag reached the 10-point mark first, Malaysia eventually won the third and final set 21-16, crushing the Indian Badminton dream on Thursday.

Despite the heartbreak, this is the joint-best performance by any Indian shuttler at the Olympics in the Men’s category. Previously, Parupalli Kashyap was the only one from the Indian Men’s Badminton squad to reach the quarter-finals. Kashyap breached the boundary at the 2012 London Olympics. Now, PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen, and HS Prannoy remain in the running for a Badminton medal in the singles event at the Paris Olympics.