With the 2024 Paris Olympics just around the corner, the Indian badminton stars are competing for a ticket to the French capitals. Among the events which hold significance in the race of Paris is the All England Open, which is currently being held in Birmingham.
Let’s delve into Indian contingent’s performance at the event in England and understand where they stand in their bid for an Olympics quota:
Who Were The Participants?
The Indian badminton contingent at the All England Open 2024 was spearheaded by the duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty in men's doubles. Leading the charge in the men's singles event was HS Prannoy with Lakshya Sen, Priyanshu Rajawat and Kidambi Srikanth in the contingent. Representing India in the women's singles event were PV Sindhu and Aakarshi Kashyap. Additionally, India had three pairs in the women's doubles event – Tanisha Crasto-Ashwini Ponnappa, Gayatri Gopichand-Treesa Jolly and Swetaparna Panda-Rutaparna Panda.
What's The Qualification Scenario?
In both the men's and women's singles events, the top 38 shuttlers on BWF's 'Road to Paris' rankings will earn quotas. However, two shuttlers from one nation can earn quotas only if they both are in top 16.
Likewise, in the three doubles events, the top 16 pairs will make it to summer games, but for two pairs from a single nation to earn quotas, they both must be in top eight.
The Olympic qualification period started on 1 May 2023 and will conclude on 28 April 2024. The final list of entries will be published on 30 April, 2024.
How Did Indian Shuttlers Perform?
Now, let's look at how the Indian shuttlers performed, and where they currently stand in their road to Paris.
Lakshya Sen
Lakshya Sen was India's best performer in the tournament. The 22-year-old’s incredible campaign saw him reaching the semi-finals, before he was ousted by Indonesia's Jonatan Christie. In a closely contested match, the 22-year-old, who had been the runner-up in the 2022 edition, fell short as he suffered a 21-12, 10-21, 15-21 defeat to the former Asian Games gold medallist.
Nevertheless, despite this setback, the young Indian shuttler remains in contention for the race to Paris. As per the live rankings, he is ranked 12th with 64,021 points, and is expected to be among India's two men's singles representatives at the 2024 Olympics, should he not falter in the upcoming events.
Lakshya lost to Indonesia's Jonatan Christie in the semifinals.
Image: X/BadmintonPhoto
PV Sindhu
Ranked 13th in the live 'Race to Paris' standings, two-time Olympics medalist PV Sindhu made a remarkable return from a persistent knee injury to kick-start her campaign at the All England Championship with a commanding victory. She dominated her first game 21-10 before her German opponent Yvonne Li retired.
Sindhu faced a familiar adversary in the Round of 16, in South Korea's An Se Young. Despite a valiant effort, succumbed to a defeat with a scoreline of 19-21, 11-21 in 42 minutes. This marked Sindhu's seventh consecutive loss against the 22-year-old South Korean shuttler.
While this defeat ended India's hopes in the women's singles event, Sindhu still looks certain to secure an Olympics quota, courtesy of her ranking.
Aakarshi Kashyap
India's other representation in women's singles came from Aakarshi Kashyap, who took on Pai Yu Po from Chinese Taipei in her opening match. Kashyap could not make further in-roads in the competition, losing by a score of 16-21, 11-21.
She is ranked 40th in the live rankings, and the Paris Olympics might come a bit too soon for the youngster.
HS Prannoy
Barring Lakshya Sen, the performance of Indian shuttlers in the men's singles event at the All England Championship left much to be desired. HS Prannoy, currently the highest-ranked Indian shuttler in men's singles, seemed rather uncomfortable against his lower-ranked opponent from Chinese Taipei, Su Li Yang. Prannoy faced an early exit from the tournament after a tense encounter, succumbing to a 21-17, 21-17 defeat in the first round.
in the live rankings, however, he is placed ninth – highest among Indian shuttlers. Accordingly, a place in the Olympics seems all but secured.
Prannoy faced an early exit from the tournament, succumbing to a defeat in the first round.
Image: X/BadmintonPhoto
Priyanshu Rajawat
Similarly, Priyanshu Rajawat also had a first round exit. Despite a hard-fought battle against Indonesia's Chico Aura Dwi Wardoyo, the 22-year-old fell short with a scoreline of 19-21, 21-11, 9-21. He is currently ranked 32nd in the live rankings, with chances of a ticket to Paris looking bleak.
Kidambi Srikanth
Kidambi Srikanth commenced his campaign with a thrilling victory over Chou Tien Chen from Chinese Taipei, securing a 21-15, 20-22, 21-8 win. However, in the subsequent round, Srikanth faced a formidable opponent in world number 17, Guang Zu of China.
Despite putting up a valiant fight, Srikanth endured a narrow defeat with a score of 21-19, 12-21, 20-22 in what was a fiercely contested match lasting 78 minutes.
This setback has further dimmed the 31-year-old's hopes of qualifying for the Paris Olympics. He is currently ranked 27th in the live rankings, with HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen having a significant advantage.
Srikanth suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Guang Zu of China.
Image: X/BadmintonPhoto
Satwik Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty
India's leading men's doubles pair and top medal contenders, Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty faced a setback in their quest for the coveted All England Open crown. The duo, currently ranked second according to the live rankings, suffered a defeat in straight games, with a scoreline of 16-21, 15-21, in just 44 minutes at the hands of former champions Muhammad Shohibul Fikri and Bagas Maulana of Indones
This loss not only dashed India's hopes of clinching the All England title but also extended their prolonged wait for victory in the prestigious tournament. To date, only Prakash Padukone in 1981 and Pullela Gopichand in 2001 have managed to secure the title for India in England.
Gayatri Gopichand-Treesa Jolly
In the women's doubles category, Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly entered the All England Open with high hopes, aiming to replicate their impressive semifinal runs from previous editions. However, they suffered a defeat against the Indonesian duo of Apriyani Rahayu and S Ramadhanti, with the scoreline being 18-21, 12-21.
They are currently ranked 26th in the Road to Paris rankings – six places behind fellow Indian pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa.
Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly lost to Indonesian duo Apriyani Rahayu and S Ramadhanti.
Image: X/BadmintonPhoto
Tanisha Crasto-Ashwini Ponnappa
The second Indian women's doubles pair of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponappa faced tough opposition in their pre-quarterfinal clash against China's Zhang Shu Xian and Zheng Yu. Despite a spirited effort, they were unable to secure a victory, conceding the match with a score of 21-11, 11-21, 11-21 in a match lasting 36 minutes.
They are currently ranked 20th, and despite being the highest-ranked Indian women's doubles pair in the road to Paris, they face an uphill climb to enter the top 16.
Swetaparna Panda-Rutaparna Panda
Swetaparna Panda and Rutaparna Panda had a challenging opening match, where they were defeated by Japan's Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi with a score of 21-9, 21-9.
They are currently ranked 48th.
Note: The aforementioned rankings of the players are based on live rankings and are subject to corroboration by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)