Satwik-Chirag Shock Adds to India’s Growing List of Lost Golds at Asian Games

India’s Asian Games campaign in Aichi-Nagoya suffered another major setback on Friday as defending badminton champions Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were knocked out in the opening round.

The World No. 5 pair, who had arrived in Japan with renewed confidence, lost 21-12, 19-21, 14-21 to Thailand’s World No. 36 Pakkapon Teeraratsakul and Peeratchai Sukhphun in just over an hour.

The defeat came as a surprise considering Satwik and Chirag’s recent form. Earlier in the team event, they had beaten reigning world champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang 21-11, 22-20 in India’s semifinal against China. They had also captured the China Masters after recovering from a quarter-final exit at the World Championships.

The pair had also returned strongly following Satwik’s shoulder injury, which kept him out of action for several weeks earlier this year. However, their individual campaign in Aichi-Nagoya ended before they could even enter the medal rounds.

The Thai duo consistently applied pressure with their pace and sharp net play, preventing the Indians from creating the space required for their powerful attacking game. After taking the first game, Satwik and Chirag lost the second before falling away in the decider.

It was their first loss against the Thai combination in three meetings, with all three matches having previously gone to a deciding game.

The early exit is another setback for India as several gold medals won at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games have already slipped out of their grasp in Japan.

GOLD MEDALS INDIA HAS FAILED TO DEFEND

Equestrian, team dressage: India, gold medallists in Hangzhou, finished fourth in Aichi-Nagoya. Hriday Chheda was the only member of the previous gold-winning quartet to return, with Shruti Vora, Gaurav Pundir and Jai Sud completing the new team.

Shooting, women’s 10m air pistol individual: India had secured a gold-silver finish in Hangzhou through Palak Gulia and Esha Singh. This time, there was no Indian medal, with Manu Bhaker finishing fifth.

Shooting, women’s 10m air pistol team: The defending champions missed the podium, finishing fourth after tying Vietnam on 1719 points but losing out on the bronze medal on inner-10 count.

Shooting, men’s 10m air pistol team: India also surrendered this title, with Kamaljeet, Kedarling Balakrishna Uchaganve and Aakash Bharadwaj failing to make the final.

Shooting, men’s 10m air rifle team: India could not retain the gold but remained among the medals, taking silver behind China.

Athletics, women’s javelin: Hangzhou champion Annu Rani is not competing after failing to meet the qualifying standard and being left out of the squad. India therefore has no entry in the event.

Athletics, men’s javelin: Defending champion Neeraj Chopra is also absent after an ankle ligament injury brought his 2026 season to an end. India will be represented by Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh.

India had finished fourth in the Hangzhou medal table with 28 golds and 107 medals overall. In Aichi-Nagoya, the country currently has only two gold medals, from women’s cricket and the mixed-team shooting pair of Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet.

There are still several opportunities for India to add to its gold tally, with title defences in men’s cricket and men’s and women’s kabaddi among those still to come. India’s track and field contingent could also provide opportunities for unexpected medals.

However, Satwik and Chirag’s defeat highlights how difficult it has already been for India to reproduce its Hangzhou success. With several defending champions either beaten, absent or unable to reach the podium, India’s pursuit of another 28-gold haul has become a much tougher challenge.