A look back at India’s medallists in BWF Championships

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Saina Nehwal won the silver medal in the 2015 edition of the BWF World Championships

BWF World Championships is one of the most prestigious tournaments in badminton history. This is the perfect stage for badminton players to judge their place in the world of badminton as top players from around the world take part in this tournament. This year’s BWF World Championships is the 27th edition of the tournament, which first started in 1977. It is no less than the Olympics, as the World Championships is the ultimate test for the shuttlers to see their level.

During the initial years, the tournament used to take place once every three years. Now it takes place every year except the one in which the Summer Olympics take place. China has been the top-notch country in the Championships with 67 gold medals to date. Today, let us take a look at all the Indian shuttlers who have bagged historic medals in the history of the BWF World Championships. Overall, India has bagged 13 medals so far. Here is the list:

#1 Prakash Padukone (1983)

One of the top players India has ever had in the history of badminton, Prakash Padukone, was the first-ever Indian shuttler to win a medal at the BWF World Championships. He won a bronze medal for the country and was the only one who bagged a medal in the Championships until 2011. Padukone lost to Lucky Sugiarto of Indonesia, who eventually went on to become the champion of that year.

#2 Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa (2011)

The pair of Jwala and Ashwini was one of the favourites of every Indian fan. The duo ended a drought for India after 28 years in 2011 when they clinched the bronze medal. To date, they are the only Indian women’s doubles pair to win a medal in the World Championships.

The pair entered the tournament unseeded and managed to upset some of the great doubles pairs. They defeated the duo from Taiwan, who were second seeds, in straight games. They continued their commendable run and went on to beat many higher-seeded players from Hong Kong and Indonesia. The tournament came to an end for them when they lost to fifth-seeded Chinese pair Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei in the semifinals and had to settle for bronze.

#3 PV Sindhu (2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019)

PV Sindhu created history in 2019 by becoming the first-ever Indian to win a gold medal in BWF World Championships

PV Sindhu created history in 2019 by becoming the first-ever Indian to win a gold medal in BWF World Championships 

PV Sindhu is the most successful Indian shuttler when it comes to the BWF World Championships. She has won medals five times in this prestigious tournament. Sindhu has been the most successful player for India since the beginning of her career, and her records are proof of that. She won her first Championships medal in 2013 when she was just 18 years old. It was also the first-ever medal in the women’s singles category when she bagged bronze.

Though she couldn’t improve the colour of her medal in 2014, her second consecutive bronze made everyone believe that she is the next big thing in the world of badminton. In 2017, Sindhu created history by winning a silver medal. The legend from India lost to Nozomi Okuhara in an epic final.

Once again, the colour of the medal remained the same in the 2018 edition, with Sindhu losing to Carolina Marin of Spain in the final, another arch-rival of the Indian shuttler. Finally, in 2019, PV Sindhu made history by winning the historic gold medal at the biggest badminton carnival. She reached the finals for the third consecutive time and successfully beat Nozomi Okuhara to clinch the gold for India.

#4 Saina Nehwal (2015, 2017)

Saina Nehwal inspired many Indian women to pursue a career in badminton. She might not be in the best of form these days, but the woman from India is known as one of the best shuttlers to have ever played the game. Her achievements have inspired millions and will continue to do so.

Talking about the World Championships, Saina Nehwal won her first BWF Championships medal in 2015 when she won a silver medal. Nehwal provided hope for a gold medal, but she was defeated in the final by Carolina Marin. The Indian legend was the top-ranked player at that time; the first Indian to achieve this feat.

She won her second medal in the year 2017 when she managed to win a bronze medal. The glorious moment of that year came when both Saina and Sindhu shared the podium. While Saina had to settle for a bronze that year, Sindhu clinched a silver medal in the 2017 edition.

#5 B Sai Praneeth (2019)

B Sai Praneeth became the second male badminton player to win a medal at the World Championships. He bagged a bronze medal after beating some of the best players in the badminton world, including Jason Anthony Ho-Shue, Lee Dong, Anthony Sinisuka, and Jonathan Christie. Praneeth lost the semifinal clash against Kento Momota of Japan, who eventually became the champion that year.

#6 Lakshya Sen (2021)

Lakshya Sen bagged the bronze medal in the previous edition of the tournament

Lakshya Sen bagged the bronze medal in the previous edition of the tournament

The 20-year-old magnificent shuttler from India is at his best these days. Though Lakshya Sen couldn’t win any medal in the 2022 BWF World Championships, the boy from Uttarakhand did so in the previous edition, where he bagged a bronze medal. Sen easily defeated Kevin Cordon, a semi-finalist in the Tokyo Olympics, and also defeated Zhao Jun Peng.

Sen, who was playing beautifully in the last edition, lost to his own countryman, Kidambi Srikanth, and had to settle for a bronze.

#7 Kidambi Srikanth (2021)

This year was not the one Srikanth would have wanted as the legendary Indian player lost during the early stages of the tournament. But he was exceptional in the previous edition of the BWF World Championships.

The former World No. 1 defeated Pablo Abian, Li Shi Feng, Lu Guang Zu, and Mark Calijouw before reaching the semifinals, where he beat his own countryman, Lakshya Sen, in an intense encounter. Srikanth lost the final against Loh Kean Yew in straight sets and became the first man from India to win the historic silver medal at the World Championships. This was another year when two Indians shared the podium, as Lakshya Sen won a bronze medal.

#8 Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (2022)

In the prestigious tournament, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy became the first men’s doubles pair for India to clinch historic bronze. They were outstanding throughout the tournament before being defeated by Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.

The Indian duo defeated J. Solis & A. Marroquin, J. Bay & L. Molhede, and Hoki & Kobayashi to ensure the bronze medal for the country. Some prominent names took part in this year’s edition, but none of them, apart from this pair, reached the medal round. Both Shetty and Rankireddy will look to change the colour of their medal in the next edition.

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