The pair of Satwik and Chirag was crowned World No.1 in rankings and they are the first Indian pair to achieve the feat
Published Date – 08:31 PM, Wed – 11 October 23
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (right), HS Prannoy (second from right) and Rohan Kapoor (left) with coach Pullela Gopichand, in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
Hyderabad: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy breaking into a dance on the court is a common sight after winning any major tournament.
Same was the case when he showed his moves after clinching the gold medal in the men’s doubles along with his partner Chirag Shetty in Hangzhou in China recently during the Asian Games. However, the shuttler from Amalapuram said he got more moves in the store but will reserve them for a bigger celebration when he wins the coveted medal next year, referring to the Paris Olympics.
Speaking on his arrival in Hyderabad on Wednesday, the 23 year old said, “I love to dance and celebrate. I danced a lot. But there is one bigger target for us. Once we win that you”ll all see how good a dancer I am.”
The pair of Satwik and Chirag was crowned World No.1 in rankings and they are the first Indian pair to achieve the feat. For the first time in Asian Games history, India won three medals in badminton – men’s doubles gold, team silver and HS Prannoy’s bronze in singles. However, Satwik and Prannoy credited the coach Pullela Gopichand and physio Kiran and their team for the success.
“Our major opponent is our body, not the opponents. We are more prone to injuries due to our aggressive style of play. So, we want to keep our body fit before any major tournaments. The physios, trainers did a lot of hard work. Gopi anna’s presence by the court side made a big difference,” he added.
Satwik further added that he enjoyed Prannoy’s bronze and was eagerly waiting for the senior player to return with a medal. “He worked very hard. I badly wanted him to win a medal. We saw how hard he trained, despite having a back injury. His performance in the team’s semifinal was very crucial for us,” he added.
The lanky player also revealed that he got goosebumps on meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. “When we met him for the first time, I sat in a back row. But after the Asian Games, I sat in the front row and our Prime Minister was so close to me. I got goosebumps.”
Prannoy also said that playing in the team event with the back pain was a collective decision by the team. “Yes, I was not sure how I would hold up such intense matches. But thanks to our physio, he made us ready for the semifinal clash. It was a group decision and I am happy I could win my match in the semifinals.”
‘Asian Games medal as good as Olympic medal’
Meanwhile Gopichand said that badminton in Asia is very strong and the medals from the Asian Games are as good as Olympic medals. “We have a very tough competition in Asia. So their medals are as good as Olympic medals.”
He also revealed that Chirga had a fever of over 102 degrees before the match while Prannoy battled back pain to play in the semis. “It was a risk we had to take. Kiran (physio) said that he can’t play two matches in a row. It was either the semifinal or final match in the team competition. We wanted him to play the semis because it was a medal match and a must-win game. He did admirably well to pull off the game. So we rested him for the final. Overall, it was a great team effort,” he added.
He had special praise for the doubles players saying that they have been playing like World No.1 players from the last five to six months and they got ranking now.
