Tokyo Olympics: It's time for Indian badminton to cement its legacy
The Tokyo Olympics are a golden opportunity for Indian badminton to cement their legacy. It began with an unexpected feat by Saina Nehwal, who defeated a World Championship silver medalist to enter the London 2012 quarter-finals. Now, India has a legitimate shot at creating history by winning its first-ever individual gold medal in badminton.
Though the strength is a bit depleted, with Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth having failed to make the cut for the Tokyo Olympics, Indian badminton is still rock solid. The following players from the subcontinent have qualified for the badminton segment of the Tokyo Olympics as of now:
1) Pusarla Venkata Sindhu - Women's Singles
2) Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth - Men's Singles
3) Satwiksairaj Rankireddy - Men's Doubles
4) Chirag Chandrashekhar Shetty - Men's Doubles
Each one of the players in question has a chance to create history, both for themselves and the nation. While an injury to Carolina Marin could increase PV Sindhu's chances of a historic gold, Sai Praneeth could achieve in men's singles what even Parupalli Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth couldn't - a podium finish.
Apart from the two, even the doubles duo of Satwik and Chirag have a golden chance of completing what was allegedly denied to Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa at the London Olympics. The two are ranked in the men's doubles top 20 - a rare feat for any Indian team.
The legacy wasn't made overnight. It took years of dedication by one man to create the foundation that has made badminton a popular sport in India today. Once a famous young whiz kid, Pullela Gopichand was forced to call it quits due to recurring injuries and internal politics. However, he made sure that this would never reflect on his pupils. Thanks to him, we have heroes like Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth et al.
Let's have a look as to how India can create history in badminton at the Tokyo Olympics: