Chirag Shetty, one half of the celebrated badminton men’s duo with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, expressed his delight at the bronze medal finish at the BWF World Championships 2025 in Paris.
Upon securing the bronze, Chirag believes that he has fulfilled the redemption after the trauma they encountered after their defeat in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Chirag Shetty Revels After Securing World Championship Bronze With Satwiksairaj Rankireddy
India’s Chirag Shetty and his partner Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have sealed a superior bronze medal finish at the World Badminton Championships in Paris after defeating Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik.
The Sat-Chi duo had avenged their loss at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the same Malaysian duo had defeated them.
A bronze medal finish at the World Championships has helped Satwik-Chirag regain their dominance as one of the world’s elite doubles sides in the game.
Chirag Shetty expressed that the podium finish over Aaron and Soh Wooi in Paris was the ultimate redemption for their loss at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He added that they played at the exact arena and the same court where they locked horns the last time.
“I think that win against Aaron is definitely very special. More than winning the medal, just knowing for a fact that if we play the right game tactically, we can beat anyone. We’ve not had a very handsome record against them lately, especially at both the Olympics.
“Winning that match in two straight games definitely gave us a huge boost, and also was a sort of redemption for last year’s Olympic Games, where we played in the exact same arena and on the same court,” Chirag Shetty said to PTI.
It Was A Tough Road To Redemption For Satwik-Chirag
Satwik-Chirag’s quarterfinal defeat to Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik was one of the biggest defeats in their doubles career. But the world number nine-ranked duo have bounced back in the competition with intent and resilience.
However, the road to redemption after the Paris Olympics was difficult for the Indian duo. They encountered injury issues, with Satwik suffering from elbow and back issues, while Chirag dealt with a recurring back injury.
The recovery was harder for Rankireddy as he also encountered a personal tragedy when his father passed away in February due to cardiac arrest. He also suffered from chickenpox.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have made a solid leap after making a comeback and proved their dominance with the bronze medal finish.