Asian Games 2023: Throwback to India's top badminton moments over the years
The Asian Games 2023 begin shortly, and Indian shuttlers will be in the hunt for their maiden gold medal at the event. So far, India have won 10 medals at the big-ticket event, including nine bronze and one silver. However, over the years, there have been moments that stand out as a benchmark in Indian badminton history.
The first moment was the bronze in 1974 Tehran, which happens to be India's first ever badminton medal at the Asian Games. Won by players Davinder Ahuja, Partho Ganguli, Raman Ghosh, Dinesh Khanna, and Prakash Padukone in the men's team event, this bronze marked the beginning of India's growth in the badminton world.
This was also the first time a South Asian country finished on the podium of the badminton men's event at the Asiad, with all of the previous medals being distributed amongst China, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, and Malaysia.
Another standout moment for Indian shuttlers was Syed Modi's bronze in the men's singles event at the 1982 New Delhi games. This marked the first time an Indian climbed onto the podium of a badminton singles event at the Asian Games. Modi remains to date the only Indian to medal in the men's singles of the Asiad.
The 1982 games also brought with them a host of other badminton podium finishes for India. Men's doubles pair Leroy D'Sa/Pradeep Gandhe and mixed doubles pair Leroy D'Sa/ Kanwal Thakar Singh won bronze medals.
Meanwhile, the men's team (consisting of Leroy D'Sa, Pradeep Gandhe, Partho Ganguli, Syed Modi, Uday Pawar, Vikram Singh) and the women's team (consisting of Vandana Chiplunkar, Ami Ghia, Madhumita Goswami, Amita Kulkarni, Hufrish Nariman, and Kanwal Thakar Singh) also brought home a bronze.
The 1982 games marked India's best badminton medal haul at the marquee event.
PV Sindhu scripts history with Asian Games silver
A moment that furthered India's legacy came at the 2018 Jakarta Games, where PV Sindhu became the first-ever Indian shuttler to win a silver at the Asian Games.
PV Sindhu was joined on the podium by Saina Nehwal, who won bronze. This marked the first time an Indian claimed a medal at the Asiad in the singles category after Syed Modi's 1982 bronze. Sindhu's silver and Saina's bronze were also India's first medals at the women's singles event of the Asian Games.
Sindhu and Saina's podium finishes also marked the first time a women's singles player from South Asia claimed a medal at the category in over 60 years of badminton at the Asiad.