Badminton
Satwik-Chirag aims for Olympic gold in 2024
To stand a chance to win the elusive Olympic gold in Paris, Satwik and Chirag are going to be selective about tournaments. They also pledged to win the All England Open title in 2024.
Asian Games champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty (Source: CGTN)
When Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty begin their journey to a fresh season in January 2024 at the Malaysia Open, the season-opening Super 1000 BWF World Tour event, in Kuala Lumpur, they will have their eyes set on the most coveted prize of the year, the Paris Olympics gold medal.
To stand a chance to achieve the elusive feat for Indian badminton, Satwik and Chirag said they will be selective about tournaments in the forthcoming season.
“Our main aim is to give our best in the competitions that we decide to compete in and ensure that we do not play a lot of tournaments. We want to decide on the events accordingly. We do not want to play 3-4 back-to-back tournaments,” Chirag said in an interview with Times of India.
“Olympics are different compared to other tournaments. It is not easy. The feeling is also different compared to tournaments like the Super Series. At the Olympics, there are no favourites. It is about 16 top pairs, and every team will give it its all. There will be no easy matches, it is going to be tough,” stated Satwik.
The former world no. 1 Indian pair, currently ranked second in the world, will come off to the new season refreshed with an adequate break and rest from the hectic events of the World Tour. Satwik and Chirag's stellar 2023 season ended in November with a runner-up finish at the China Masters, their first defeat in nine finals.
They missed the World Tour Finals in December despite having a terrific year, where they attained the world no. 1 ranking, and won historic Asian Championships and Asian Games gold. They also claimed their maiden Super 1000 title at the Indonesia Open along with the Korea Open Super 500 and Swiss Open Super 300 titles.
'Olympics is the biggest target for us'
Going into the new season, the duo will look to make an amend to their Olympic campaign this time around, while also gunning for the elusive All England Open crown. In Tokyo, three years back, their pursuit for the gold medal ended in a disappointing group stage exit.
“2023 has been a great year for us, but it is important to keep ourselves fresh and fit. Going into 2024, the Olympics is the biggest target for us. That said, there are other competitions which we have not won yet, like the All England. Hopefully 2024 will be another great year,” said Chirag.
Currently, Satwik-Chirag is placed at the fifth spot in the 'Race to Paris - Olympic qualification' rankings. Only the top eight pairs from across the world will qualify for the Games and a maximum of two pairings from a country are eligible to qualify for the marquee event.
