“Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty is Our Best”: Badminton great Leroy D’Sa ahead of Paris Olympics
Leroy D’Sa names India’s former world number one men’s doubles Satwaksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty as India’s top medalists in the upcoming Olympics.
No one in Indian badminton is more qualified than Leroy D’Sa to claim the badminton double. The only Indian to win four medals at the Asian Games, D’Sa is one of the best athletes the country has produced and her success comes at a time when doubles was a neglected art. D’Sa had to form strong partnerships with top male and female athletes like Prakash Padukone, Ami Ghia and Kanwal Thakur Singh to win medals in two Asian Games and the mixed doubles event.
So when Leroy D’Sa picks these two as favorites to win a medal at the Paris Olympics, you have to sit up and take notice.
D’Sa named Satwaksairaj Rankireddy and former Indian men’s world number one Chirag Shetty as India’s top medalists in the upcoming Olympics, placing them ahead of Olympic medalist P. V Sindhu.
“The athletes have played well all year and there are a lot of expectations. But personally I think the most important point is to qualify for the Olympic Games. Of all the available players, I think we have the best chance to come back with a bigger journey than ever before. “SJAM) celebrates World Sports Journalists Day on Tuesday.
Olympic and Olympic gold medalist Viren Rasqinha, Athletics Federation of India President Adille Sumariwalla, Indian Shooting Team Head Coach Suma Shirur and former Indian Davis Cupper Purav Raja participated in this interview.
D’Sa said that the badminton team in Paris will be India’s biggest team in the Olympics this time as many players have qualified for the games.
“I think two men (Lakshya Sen, H.S Prannoy) in the same category, Sidhu in women and Chirag-Satwik in men, is the best way to come back with a medal. I would put Sindhu next because she is the one who has bled blood and knows what it takes to win at the highest level. He is back in good form and I am sure it will not be difficult to win a medal under Prakash Padukone’s leadership,” said D’Sa.
Three, if not four, medals: D’Sa
D’Sa won three bronze medals in men’s doubles and mixed doubles at the 1982 Asian Games and won a fourth bronze medal for the men’s team at the 1986 Seoul Games; He rated Lakshya Sen and HS Prannoy as dark horses.
“Lakshya Sen and H.S Prannoy are dark horses in themselves for me. Lakshya Sen once again played very well. Unfortunately, HS Prannoy had some medical problems. He didn’t play well. But I think it’s all over. If these athletes manage to stay injury-free, I am sure we will come back with at least three medals, if not four, this time,” said D’Sa.
D’Sa also has high expectations from Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, two young women who he believes are experienced enough to cause major trouble in the BWF circuit.
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