Badminton: A Year of Olympic heartbreak, some breakthroughs, new promises

It was both the best and worst of times for Satwik and Chirag, who reached four finals and won two titles, raising hopes for a historic Olympic medal

NEW DELHI: The dynamic duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty left a lasting impression, but Lakshya Sen's meltdown in the Paris Olympics bronze medal match was frustration at its peak in a bitter-sweet season for Indian badminton during which moments of brilliance were often overshadowed by heartbreaks.

It was both the best and worst of times for Satwik and Chirag, who reached four finals and won two titles, raising hopes for a historic Olympic medal. However, their campaign ended in disappointment with a quarterfinal exit in Paris.

The Asian Games champions solidified their status as one of the world's top pairs with titles at the French Open Super 750 and Thailand Super 500 and runners-up finishes at the Malaysia Super 1000 and India Super 750 but the Olympics remained an elusive dream for the second time in eight years.

The heartbreaking loss saw their Danish coach Mathias Boe resign but the return of Malaysia's Tan Kim Her, who is credited with bringing Satwik and Chirag together, by the end of the year, provided a much-needed boost.