2024 Paris Olympics: 3 pairs who can challenge Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in their hunt for India's maiden badminton gold

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will head into the Paris Olympics as the frontrunners for gold in the men's doubles event. The duo have scripted many firsts for Indian badminton and will be hoping to claim the nation's maiden gold in the sport at these Games.

Rankireddy and Shetty aren't new to the pressures that the biggest stages of a sport tend to bring with them, having previously competed at the 2020 Olympics. In Tokyo, the Indians fell short of making it out of the group stages, but the story is completely different this time around.

As the World No.3, the duo is one of the favorites to storm to the top of the podium at the Paris Olympics, but the journey to get there won't be without its challenges. With that, here's a look at three opponents that could beat Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty at the Games.

#3. Kang Min Hyuk/Seo Seung Jae

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Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae are one of the pairs who could impede Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in their quest for a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. The South Koreans are the current World No. 4, having risen through the ranks spectacularly in 2023.

Last season, the duo had started out on a strong note, claiming wins at both the Australian Open and the Malaysia Masters early in the year. They then entered the World Championships as the ninth seed, before going on a giant-killing spree that made them the 2023 World Champions. They ended their year on a high, with a top-of-the-podium finish at the BWF World Tour Finals.

When it comes to the head-to-head count, Rankireddy and Shetty lead the statistics, having walked away with the win five of the seven times they've faced the South Koreans. In their most recent encounter ahead of the Paris Olympics, which took place at the 2024 French Open, the Indians beat their foes 21-13, 21-16.

#2. Anders Skaarup Rasmussen/Kim Astrup

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Another doubles pair that holds the potential to stop Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty from claiming gold at the Paris Olympics is Anders Skaarup Rasmussen and Kim Astrup. The Dane pair is currently ranked second in the world and hold a distinct advantage over the Indians.

Rasmussen and Astrup hold a resume that boasts of a World Championships silver and bronze, a Thomas Cup gold, a European Championships gold, as well as a European Games gold.

The Danes lead their Indian counterparts 6-3 in the head-to-head stats and have never lost to Rankireddy and Shetty in a major tournament outside of the 2020 Thomas Cup finals. Interestingly enough, at one point in time, Kim Astrup was partnered with Mathias Boe, who is the coach of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty ahead of the Paris Olympics.

#1. Liang Wei Kang/Wang Chang

Yet another threat to Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s dreams of claiming gold at the Paris Olympics is the Chinese pair of Liang Wei Kang and Wang Chang. The two are currently the top-ranked duo in the world and will enter the Games as the top seeds.

Kang and Chang have had a stunning run in 2023 and 2024, claiming gold at the Sudirman Cup, Thomas Cup, Asian Games, as well as the Asian Championships. They also claimed bronze at the 2023 Copenhagen World Championships.

In terms of head-to-head clashes, the Chinese are the superior duo between the two pairs, having won five of their six clashes. The only time Rankireddy and Shetty have gotten the better of this particular pair was at the 2023 Korea Open, where the scoreline read 21-15, 24-22 in favor of the Indians. Interestingly enough, this was the only match between the two pairs that hadn't gone the full distance.