DELHI, INDIA: For most athletes, becoming the world’s number one is a career-defining moment. For Indian badminton star Chirag Shetty (also an Asian Games gold medallist), it came during one of the toughest weeks of his life, while battling a severe bout of influenza at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
In a recent episode of the iQOO Quest Talk podcast with Nipun Marya, Chirag Shetty looked back at the unforgettable week that saw him and his partner Satwiksairaj Rankireddy script history for Indian badminton.
“Our coach and we spent every possible moment on court preparing for that tournament. We were training even on Sundays. By the time the team event got over, I had found my rhythm and was feeling really confident,” he shared.
But just as the tournament gathered momentum, things took an unexpected turn.
“At that time, influenza was spreading in China. One player in our contingent got infected, and slowly everyone started falling sick,” Chirag recalled.
A day before one of his biggest matches, the illness hit him hard.
“I had a very high fever. I wasn’t even able to walk to the bathroom. I asked my physiotherapist to stay with me because I wasn’t sure if I would even be able to walk to the polyclinic without falling,” he said.
Although medication helped manage the symptoms, recovery was far from immediate.
“The doctor told me it would take four or five days to recover. I just wanted the headache to go away. I knew I could somehow push through the weakness,” he added.
Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won India’s first-ever gold medal in badminton in men’s doubles at the 2022 Asian Games
Against all odds, Chirag and Satwik stepped onto the court and created history by winning India’s first-ever badminton gold medal in men’s doubles at the Asian Games. After the semi-final, their coach Mathias broke another piece of historic news.
“He came to me and said, ‘You are World No. 1 now.’ I told him, ‘I don’t care right now… please don’t tell me these things. My focus is only on the final,’” Chirag Shetty recalled.
Only after winning the gold medal did the magnitude of the achievement truly sink in.
“Winning the Asian Games and becoming World No. 1 at the same time- that’s a moment we’ll always cherish,” he said.
Reflecting on what the victory meant, Chirag Shetty described hearing ‘Jai Ho’ play at an international tournament as one of the proudest moments of his career.
“Hearing an Indian song being played after our win was an incredible feeling. Those are moments you dream of as an athlete,” said Shetty.
From fighting through illness to standing on top of the podium as World No. 1, Chirag Shetty’s journey is a testament to resilience, mental strength and staying focused when it matters the most – proving that champions are often defined not by the circumstances they face, but by how they overcome them.
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[This story has been generated from a syndicated feed and contains only minor edits]
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