Olympic heartbreak and no net gain for badminton

The ever-reliable discipline for India, in terms of providing the thrill & medals at elite competitions, endured a difficult year with some of the top shuttlers struggling for form, writes Anmol Gurung. Missing out on a medal in Paris was a new low...

- Anmol Gurung

VER since Saina Nehwal's medal at the London Olympics in 2012, badminton has seen a massive transformation. The most popular recreational sport turned into a professional one as well. And it was visible everywhere. Take Chennai, for example. Suddenly, every locality has a badminton academy with photos of Saina, PV Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and the doubles exponents, Satwik-sairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty embossed on the walls; symbolising the rise of the game not just in the country but worldwide. Be it Olympics, World Championships or Thomas and Uber Cup, Indian shuttlers were making their presence felt with medal returns.

Yet, as this year's Olympics approached, everything seemed to have dried up and touched its nadir at the Paris Olympics. For the first time since 2012, India failed to win an Olympic medal. At the BWF World Tour results, none of the Indian singles players had managed to pocket a title until the recent Syed Modi International. Barring Lakshya in a couple of events, it was largely an ordinary journey for most shuttlers in the singles department.

The heroics of Anmol Kharb and Ashmita Chaliha during India's historic win at the Badminton Asia Team Championships was perhaps the biggest highlight.