Badminton News: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are heading towards a new stage in their careers. The duo was nominated for the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honour.
Only three badminton players from the country have ever won this award, namely Pullela Gopichand, Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu. This pair of men’s doubles will be the first in their category to win this award.
Nominations for Khel Ratna can be submitted by players or national federations for specific sports. An official from the Badminton Association of India confirmed to Hindustan Times that Rankireddy and Shetty had made their own decision.
Usually, players and associations have informal discussions before signing up, considering their performances on the international stage. Satwik and Chirag chatted with us before signing up. I believe the final date is December 2nd. The ministry has not contacted us. We did not do it. Of course, we will approve their application. These are our jewels.”
The Khel Ratna is awarded to sportspersons who have excelled in their sport over the last four years at the international level. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty definitely tick that box.
This year alone, the pair have reached six finals and won five of them. In June, the pair were victorious against Malaysians Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik at the Indonesia Open, becoming the first Indian men’s doubles pair to win a Super 1000 tournament.
They followed up with a historic feat at the Hangzhou Asian Games, winning an individual gold medal, which was the first gold medal for the country. In the same event, they helped the Indian team finish in second position.
In October 2023, Rankireddy and Shetty rose to No. 1 in the BWF World Rankings, becoming the first Indian doubles pair to achieve this feat.
In the last four years, the duo also won bronze at the BWF World Championships and helped Team India achieve their maiden Thomas Cup victory.
Article Tag: Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Khel Ratna Prize 2023
