DUBAI: The Indian men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy created history here on Sunday as they clinched the gold medal after beating Malaysia's Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi in the final of the Badminton Asia Championships 2023.
Shetty and Rankireddy defeated the Malaysian pair 16-21, 21-17, 21-19 in a thrilling men's doubles final that lasted an hour and seven minutes. BAI president Himanta Biswa Sarma announced Rs 20 lacs as a reward for the historic win by the Indian pair.
This is the first-ever gold medal for India at the Badminton Asia Championships in the men's doubles category. Dipu Ghosh and Raman Ghosh won a bronze medal in 1971 when they reached the semi-finals of the competition. Meanwhile, Dinesh Khanna is the only gold medal winner for India in the men's singles category in the continental championships. He won the men's singles title back in 1965.
After the match, Shetty stated, "I and Satwik worked really hard for this medal and I am happy that we have finally won the title. Also, I would like to thank everyone back home for supporting me."
"I am grateful for all the support we have got during the Badminton Asia Championships. It's a great feeling to win this tournament for the first time and I am sure we will win more such titles in the future. We will continue to work hard to bring laurels to the country," concluded Rankireddy.
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