BWF World Championships LIVE – India in World Badminton LIVE: The BWF World Championships is regarded as one of the most prestigious Badminton tournaments as top players from across the world fight it out to be crowned as the World Champion. The winner is awarded the gold medal, apart from getting the most ranking points while the runner-up and semifinalists are also awarded the silver and bronze medals respectively. Over the years India has secured a total of 14 medals in the tournament with only PV Sindhu winning the title. InsideSport takes a look at India’s medal winners at the BWF World Championship. Follow news of World Badminton Championships LIVE with InsideSport.IN
BWF World Championships LIVE: From Parakash Padukone to Lakshya Sen, Check Out the Indians who have finished on the podium in World Championships
Prakash Padukone – 1983 – Bronze Medal
Started in the year 1977, the BWF World Championships was initially held every three years. In its third edition in 1983 the tournament was played at Copenhagen, Denmark and Prakash Padukone finished on the podium by winning the bronze medal. He became the first-ever Indian to win a World Championship medal. Padukone was at the top of his game during that time and he reached the semifinal having dropped just a solitary game in the first four matches. He lost in the semifinals to Indonesia’s Icuk Sugiartoto settle for Bronze medal.
Jwala Gutta & Ashwini Ponnappa – 2011 – Bronze Medal
After Prakash Padukone’s heroics it took India 28 years to win another World Championship medal. India’s Women’s doubles pair Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta finally managed to bring home another medal in the year 2011 when the event was held in London. What made their victory special was that, the Indian duo was unseeded in the tournament. The Gutta-Ponnappa pair met second seeded Taiwanese pair Cheng Wen-hsing and Chien Yu-chin in the second round and clinched an upset victory over them in straight sets. The Indian duo also had to face 11th and 12th seeded pair in the next two rounds and stormed past them to enter the semifinal, where they lost to fifth seeded Chinses pair Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei.
PV Sindhu – 2013 – Bronze medals
Two years later, PV Sindhu ended India’s 30 year wait for a medal in singles as she won the bronze medal in Women’s singles. She also became the first-ever Indian woman singles player to win a World Championship medal. Sindhu was just 18-years old at that time and while everyone was expecting Saina Nehwal to win a medal after her London Olympics bronze medal winning effort, Sindhu went on to announce herself on the big stage by reaching the semifinal. Though she lost the semifinal to Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon, it was a big achievement for the Indian as she defeated second seed China’s Wang Yihan and seventh seed Wang Shixian on her way to a podium finish.
PV Sindhu – 2014 – Bronze medal
Sindhu came back once again in the next edition with a stellar performance. The 19-year old was the 11th seed in the tournament and she beat sixth seeded Bae Yeon-ju of South Korea in the third round and stunned second seeded Chinese Wang Shixian yet again in the quarterfinals after losing the first game to ensure another medal. She lost to Carolina Marin in the semifinal to get her hands on another bronze medal.
Saina Nehwal – 2015 – Silver medal
After her younger compatriot Sindhu finished on the podium in the previous two editions, Saina Nehwal produced India’s best-ever performance in singles at the 2015 edition in Jakarta, where she became the first Indian to reach the final. She finally bagged the silver medal after losing the final to top seeded Carolina Marin.
Saina Nehwal was seeded second in the tournament and she beat 14th seeded Syaka Takahashi in the third round in straight games and went on to defeat sixth seeded Chinese Wang Yihan 21-15, 19-21, 21-19 in three games to enter the semifinals for the first time in the tournament, where she beat unseeded Indonesian Lindaweni Fanetri in straight games to set up clash with Carolina Marin. Saina lost the final 16-21, 19-21 to settle for silver.
PV Sindhu – Silver – 2017
Two years later, it was Sindhu who equalled her senior compatriot Saina Nehwal’s feat by winning the silver medal in Women’s singles. Sindhu was the fourth seed in the tournament. It was a time when Sindhu won the silver medal at the Rio Olympics and became India’s top ranked women’s singles player. She continued to dominate at the World Championships and defeated fifth seed Sun Yu in straight games in the quarterfinal. In the semifinal she met ninth seed Chen Yufei and also won the game in straight sets to enter the final. The final she met Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara and it was one of the most closely fought encounters. Sindhu finally lost the contest as the scores read 21-19, 22-20, 20-22.
Saina Nehwal – Bronze – 2017
It was double delight for India as the tournament saw for the first time two Indians finishing on top of the podium as Saina Nehwal clinched the bronze medal. After a career-threatening knee injury that saw her slip in the rankings, Saina Nehwal had a terrific World Championships in 2017. She defeated second seed Sung Ji-hyun in straight games in the second round and then went past 16th seed Kirsty Gilmour. She however lost the semifinal to Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara to win the bronze medal.
PV Sindhu – Silver – 2018
In the next year, Sindhu lost the final yet again to bag the silver medal. This time she lost the final to Spain’s Carolina Marin, who became the first woman to win three World Championship titles. Sindhu was the third seed in the tournament and entered the semifinals by sailing past Sung Ji-hyun and eighth seed Nozomi Okuhara. She then defeated second seed Akane Yamugachi in the semifinal in straight games to set up clash with Marin in the final. In the final, Sindhu had no chance against the Spaniard as she won in straight games.
Sai Praneeth – Bronze – 2019
After Saina and Sindhu’s heroics in the World Championship, finally it was Sai Praneeth who became India’s second male singles player to win World Championship medal. Praneeth was the 16th seed in the tournament and he defeated Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting who was the sixth seed in straight games and then won against another Indonesian in fourth seeded Jonathan Cristie in the quarterfinals to ensure a medal for India. In the semifinals, he lost to top seed Kento Momota.
PV Sindhu – Bronze – 2019
While Sai Praneeth won bronze in Men’s singles, Sindhu created history by becoming the first-ever Indian to be crowned as the World Champion in the same event. Sindhu was the fifth seed and he defeated 9th seeded Beiwen Zhang in the third round in straight games and won her biggest game in the tournament in the quarterfinal as she defeated second seeded Tai Tzu Ying in three games. In the semifinal she yet again faced higher ranked opponent in Chen Yufei but she sailed past the fourth seed in straight games and reached the final. She was up against third seeded Nozomi Okuhara but Sindhu’s dominance continued as she won the match 21-7, 21-7 to be crowned as the World Champion.
Srikanth – Silver – 2021
The 2021 edition of the event saw two Indian men’s singles players finishing on the podium. India’s Kidambi Srikanth became the first-ever Indian male to win a silver medal in the tournament. Srikanth was the 12th seed in the tournament and he had a relatively easy draw as he reached the quarterfinals quite comfortably by facing unseeded opponents. In the semifinals he faced biggest challenge in compatriot Lakshya Sen. The match stretched for three sets with Srikanth finally managing to win it 17-21, 21-14, 21-17. Srikanth faced Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew in the final and lost in straight sets.
Lakshya Sen – Bronze – 2021
In his first-ever World Championships, 20-year old Lakshya Sen made a mark for himself as he finished on the podium by winning the bronze medal. A protege of Prakash Padukone, Lakshya Sen was unseeded in the tournament. He faced 15th seed Kenta Nishimoto in the second round and defeated him in three games. He was the only seeded player he faced in the tournament and then met compatriot Srikanth in the semifinals. Despite winning the first game, he couldn’t get the better of his senior counterpart as he lost the contest and settled for silver.
BWF World Championships LIVE: From Parakash Padukone to Lakshya Sen, Check Out the Indians who have finished on the podium in World Championships
Editors pick
