In sport, redemptions are romantic yet rarely come easy. It demands a path of heartbreak, persistence and a willingness to face the same demons that once caused your downfall.
For Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, their bronze medal at the BWF World Championship turns out to be one of those moments that define an athlete’s career. Especially after the Paris Olympics heartbreak and the struggles that followed. This bronze could just be the beginning of something bigger for the Indian duo.
Only a year ago, the star pair walked into the Paris Olympics as one of India’s biggest medal hopes, having dominated the badminton circuit for a long time. They had beaten the best and held the World No. 1 after an Asian Games gold medal. But in the quarterfinals of the Olympics, against their rivals – Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik – they faltered. The loss hurt more, not just because of the result, but because it came in a match where they had their chances.
The duo took some time off the court but looked visibly devastated. While Satwik was recovering from an injury, during a brief public outing at the Delhi Vedanta Marathon, Chirag appeared devastated and a shadow of himself. He was quiet, withdrawn and possibly still carrying the pain of Paris.
The 2025 season wasn’t any easier. The duo missed the Sudirman cup, Satwik was recovering from an injury, Chirag’s chronic back injury flared to the worst point, so much so that it forced them to walk out of a match and withdraw from the All England. For the first time in their respective careers, things came to a stage where they had to withdraw from a tournament. But then, the fire in them was still burning bright.
“The fire in me is only burning brighter since the past two months. And I am eagerly waiting to return to court.” said Satwik ahead of the 2025 Singapore Open
“Right now our priority is just to get back on court. We know that if we’re fit and healthy, it’s only a matter of time before we hit our stride again.” added Chirag in an exclusive conversation with RevSportz in May this year.
And then, destiny bowed down to persistence and strength and offered poetic symmetry. Back in Paris, same court and same opponents. Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik stood in their path of a medal again in the quarterfinals of the World Championships. Chia and Soh could have fallen to any other opponent, but it had to happen this way. The Indians, meanwhile, had to beat Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, a pair that had dominated them since 2023. They dropped the first game and looked set for another early exit. But something clicked. A flying Chirag dive, and suddenly, the belief was back.
Chirag admitted after the Chia-Soh match in the mixed zone
“It was a rematch of sorts from the Olympics and I think we finally got some redemption. It was the same court, same arena, a year back exactly… really happy we could win today.”
Although the Indian pair’s campaign eventually ended in the semifinal against China’s Chen Boyang and Liu Yi, in a battle that lasted three games. For the first time after a long while there this wasn’t a match that disappointed, it was a hard-fought battle and could have gone either way. Even though they had to settle for a bronze, the Indians had shown belief. This was their second World Championship medal after Tokyo 2022, and it ensured India’s streak of medaling every year since 2011 stayed intact.
Yes, the bronze in Paris doesn’t erase the heartbreak of the loss of an Olympics medal but it does give hope. It has proven that Satwik and Chirag have bounced back from one of the hardest phases of their careers.
Now, the next 12 months loom large: The Asian Games, the Superseries circuit, and the continued buildup to the Los Angeles 2028 cycle. The challenge for Satwik and Chirag will be consistency, staying injury-free, and converting semifinal appearances into titles again.