A look at some of most iconic moments in Indian badminton history

Indian badminton team confirmed its first-ever medal at the ongoing Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships after defeating Hong Kong in the quarterfinals and advancing to the semifinals. Ahead of India’s landmark semifinal match against China, let us look at some of country’s most iconic badminton moments.

Source: Twitter

Prakash Padukone’s All England Open Badminton Championships win

Legendary Indian shuttler Prakash Padukone made history in 1980 by becoming first-ever Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Championships. He defeated Indonesia’s Swie King Liem in straight sets by 15–3, 15–10 in the summit clash. The Indonesian was number one in the world, the defending champion, but his run was stopped by Padukone. 

Source: Olympics

Pullela brings back All England Open Badminton Championships trophy to India in 2001

Gopichand became the second Indian to lift the title, bringing the trophy to India after 21 years. He defeated China’s Chen Hong in the final by 15–12, 15–6. 

MS Education Academy
Source: Olympics

PV Sindhu’s Rio Olympics 2016 

At the Rio 2016 Olympics, Sindhu became the first-ever Indian shuttler to reach the badminton final. However, she had to settle for a silver after losing to Spain’s Carolina Marín, a huge rival of hers. 

Source: Kiren Rijiju Twitter

PV Sindhu’s World Championships win in 2019

PV Sindhu became the first-ever Indian shuttler to clinch a gold medal at the Badminton World Championships in 2019, defeating Nozomi Okuhara of Japan by 21-7, 21-7 in two straight games. 

Source: Sachin Tendulkar Twitter

India’s maiden Thomas Cup win

The Indian badminton team made history in 2022 and clinched their first-ever Thomas Cup trophy, the most prestigious men’s team world championships in the sport. They defeated 14-time champions Indonesia by 3-0 in the final.   

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