Asian Games badminton: India men finish with bronze after semi-final loss to China
India's men's badminton team secured a bronze medal at the Asian Games after going down 1-3 to China in the semifinals in Aichi-Nagoya on Wednesday.
Lakshya Sen and Ayush Shetty could not overcome their higher-ranked opponents, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were the only Indians to register a win as China once again ended India's campaign.
India had won silver at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where they also lost to China in the final. The latest result means India have secured back-to-back Asian Games team medals for the first time in 40 years, after winning bronze in the 1982 and 1986 editions.
World No. 14 Lakshya, who had produced a strong performance to help India reach the semifinals, was unable to replicate that form against world No. 6 Shi Yu Qi. The Indian went down 16-21, 18-21 in the opening singles match, putting China 1-0 ahead.
Satwiksairaj and Chirag then brought India back into the contest with an impressive victory over Paris Olympic silver medallists and reigning world champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.
The Indian pair prevailed 21-11, 22-20 to level the tie 1-1 and give India fresh hope of reaching the final at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium.
The pressure then shifted to 20-year-old Ayush Shetty, but the world No. 20 could not maintain his composure against world No. 12 Li Shi Feng. Ayush lost 19-21, 13-21 as China moved 2-1 ahead.
India's hopes then rested on Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun in the second doubles match. The world No. 25 pair faced He Ji Ting and Liu Yi, with He drafted into the team at the last minute after Chen Boyang fell ill.
Hariharan and Arjun fought back after losing the opening game, but could not complete the comeback. They went down 16-21, 21-17, 9-21 as China sealed a place in the final and ended India's hopes of improving on their silver from Hangzhou.
Despite the defeat, India's bronze marks a significant achievement in Asian Games badminton. The men's team have now won medals at successive editions, ending a 40-year wait for consecutive team medals after their bronze-winning campaigns in 1982 and 1986.- EndsPublished By: Saurabh KumarPublished On: Sep 23, 2026 16:11 IST
