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The Tokyo Olympics are a golden opportunity for Indian badminton to cement their legacy. It began with an unexpected feat by Saina Nehwal, who defeated a World Championship silver medalist to enter the London 2012 quarter-finals. Now, India has a legitimate shot at creating history by winning its first-ever individual gold medal in badminton.
Though the strength is a bit depleted, with Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth having failed to make the cut for the Tokyo Olympics, Indian badminton is still rock solid. The following players from the subcontinent have qualified for the badminton segment of the Tokyo Olympics as of now:
1) Pusarla Venkata Sindhu - Women's Singles
2) Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth - Men's Singles
3) Satwiksairaj Rankireddy - Men's Doubles
4) Chirag Chandrashekhar Shetty - Men's Doubles
Each one of the players in question has a chance to create history, both for themselves and the nation. While an injury to Carolina Marin could increase PV Sindhu's chances of a historic gold, Sai Praneeth could achieve in men's singles what even Parupalli Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth couldn't - a podium finish.
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Apart from the two, even the doubles duo of Satwik and Chirag have a golden chance of completing what was allegedly denied to Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa at the London Olympics. The two are ranked in the men's doubles top 20 - a rare feat for any Indian team.
The legacy wasn't made overnight. It took years of dedication by one man to create the foundation that has made badminton a popular sport in India today. Once a famous young whiz kid, Pullela Gopichand was forced to call it quits due to recurring injuries and internal politics. However, he made sure that this would never reflect on his pupils. Thanks to him, we have heroes like Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth et al.
Let's have a look as to how India can create history in badminton at the Tokyo Olympics:
Indian badminton may be down heading into the Tokyo Olympics, but not out
Indian badminton was all set to make it big in Tokyo. The women had bulldozed every challenge thrown at them. The men had followed the example of their female counterparts and regained lost pride.
However, COVID-19 played spoilsport. The first wave halted India's preparations for the Tokyo Olympics. To make matters worse, the event was then postponed by a year, and a forced lockdown in India, thanks to the second wave, pulled the curtains on Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth's medal hopes altogether. Unless Nehwal makes a stronger comeback in Paris 2024, the Rio Olympics will be her last Olympics ever.
However, the ones who have made it are unfazed. While PV Sindhu is more than ready to take on the best, with a new coach by her side, Sai Praneeth is set to eclipse his predecessors in terms of a worthy performance. Even the doubles pairing of Satwik and Chirag are raring to go and make themselves count in their debut stint at the Olympics.
Also read: Tokyo Olympics 2021: Can Sai Praneeth make his Olympic debut?
PV Sindhu - The Golden Girl heading into the Tokyo Olympics
As one of India's Tokyo Olympic hopefuls, Pusarla Venkata Sindhu has come a long way. From the 'giant killer' who shocked Olympic champion Li Xuerui of China at the tender age of 17, to becoming India's first player to win a World Championship.
The 25-year-old shuttler from Hyderabad has maintained a crystal clear focus on her goal of making it big in badminton. PV Sindhu achieved one milestone after another. She is the first Indian to win consecutive medals at the World Championships since 2013 and make it to the Asian Games badminton finals.
The best performance by an Indian prior to that was by Syed Modi, who clinched a bronze medal in the men's singles at the Asian Games held in New Delhi in 1982.
However, her most glorious moments came in 2016 and 2019. Defeating Nozomi Okuhara, Sindhu became the first Indian to cruise into the finals of any individual badminton event at the Olympics. Although she lost the gold to Carolina Marin of Spain, she went down fighting.
Sindhu ticked another box by winning a historic gold at the BWF World Championships in 2019, becoming the first Indian ever to achieve this feat at the senior level. Can PV Sindhu create history at the Tokyo Olympics next?
B Sai Praneeth - Indian badminton's trump card for the Tokyo Olympics
While for many, it might be a foregone conclusion, Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth can do at the Tokyo Olympics what no other Indian male shuttler has managed to achieve - clinch a historic Olympic medal. It won't be tough for the student of esteemed badminton wizard Pullela Gopichand.
A child prodigy from the start, Sai Praneeth made India take notice when he clinched a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in 2010. However, it took him several years to get comfortable at the senior level.
In 2013, he stunned two badminton stalwarts, one after the other. He denied Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat a respectable farewell and also defeated the then-world No. 4 Hu Yun of Hong Kong in the Singapore Super Series.
However, Sai Praneeth's true reckoning came in 2019, when he clinched bronze at the BWF World Championships. This was India's first medal in the men's singles category since Prakash Padukone did it in 1987.
The Tokyo Olympics can make a hero out of Sai Praneeth. If he keeps his wits about him, the sky is the limit for this guy.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty - The crouching tigers headed to the Tokyo Olympics
While India has bulldozed its way into the individual categories of badminton, the road hasn't been as well laid for the doubles category. Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponaappa were well known for their heroics at the World Championships in 2011, but for the first time, the two men have made it to the Olympics in the doubles category.
The duo have nothing to lose. The Tokyo Olympics will mark their debut at the quadrennial event, and neither are above 25. Both are ranked among the top 20 of the world rankings.
As such, all they need to do is to keep their wits about them. Should they even make it to the semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics, it will be nothing short of historic. Though it will be far from easy, the two have managed to make the impossible possible. They almost created Commonwealth Games history in 2018 but their lack of experience proved costly for the duo.
Who can win a historic gold for India at the Tokyo Olympics?
While it would be a bit premature to declare a historic Tokyo Olympics gold medal winner, there is no doubt that both PV Sindhu and B Sai Praneeth can make this possible.
Things might have changed for the better for Sindhu because, as of now, Carolina Marin's chances of competing in the Tokyo Olympics are hanging by a thread due to her knee injury. The only thing the ace Indian shuttler needs to keep in check is her nerve, which cost her a sure-shot gold medal at the Rio Olympics.
For Sai Praneeth, a lack of Olympic experience will be a matter of concern. However, the experience he has gained otherwise will prove extremely helpful, just as in the case of Vijay Kumar. The pistol shooter only made it to his first Olympics at the age of 27 and shot his way to the silver medal. It was all down to the vast amount of experience he had gained at various smaller tournaments.
The entire nation will be hoping that Indian badminton continues to make them proud as they have done since Beijing 2008.
