“The duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has a 95% chance of winning gold” - Saina Nehwal ahead of Paris Olympics

London Olympics bronze medalist shuttler Saina Nehwal feels the World No. 3 doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has a strong chance of bagging the gold medal at the forthcoming Paris Olympics 2024, scheduled to start from July 27. On Friday, July 5, Saina Nehwal, who graced her presence at the inauguration ceremony of the Badminton Pros Academy in Byculla, Mumbai, spoke candidly to the media about the Indian badminton contingent’s chances at Paris 2024.

Notably, the two-time World Championship medalist Nehwal has been suffering from a knee injury for a long time. She stated that this time around, the level of competition will be high and we can expect some exciting action at the mega event in Paris.

“I unfortunately won’t be taking part because I have arthritis. But we have a strong contingent. The duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty has a 95% chance of winning gold,” she stated.

“Apart from them, we have Lakshya, Prannoy, Sindhu and the women’s doubles pairing of Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto. I am sure all of them would have prepared hard but remember the rest of the world too will be prepared. The level of competition will be high, so let’s hope for the best. I wish them all good luck,” she added.

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Saina Nehwal backs PV Sindhu to win third consecutive Olympic medal

When asked about PV Sindhu’s chances to become the first Indian to win three individual Olympic medals, Saina Nehwal sounded confident and cited Lee Chong Wei’s example of winning three consecutive silver medals.

Furthermore, Saina Nehwal felt if Sindhu takes care of her body well and prepares well, she will surely have a chance to win four consecutive Olympic medals too. Sindhu won silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020 and would be eyeing to change the medal color this time around.

“Definitely, it’s possible. Lee Chong Wei has won three back-to-back silvers. It will depend on the draws too. You can win four Olympic medals too, but it depends on how you take care of your body. If she has prepared well, then she surely has chances of winning a third medal,” she went on to add.

Speaking about the newly inaugurated Badminton Pros Academy in Byculla, Mumbai, the state-of-the-art academy is located in Monte South, a 12.5-acre luxury residential project by Marathon Realty and Adani Realty.

It has branches already in cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune. It was founded by two retired international shuttlers namely Olympian Anup Sridhar and Thomas Cupper Vijay Lancy.

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