Satwik-Chirag at Paris Olympics: A look at three main rivals for India’s star men’s doubles pairing

Leading the talk of India’s medal hopefuls at the Olympics, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are gearing up for their reboot in Paris, three years after bittersweet Tokyo.

Clubbed with mightier opponents, the Satwik-Chirag pair remained unflinching as they finished third. They fell short of the knockouts on point difference behind a top two which included the then World No. 1 pair and eventual champions. While they could not overpower the top-seeded Indonesians Marcus Gideon and Kevin Sukamuljo, ‘SatChi’ edged Chinese Taipei’s Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin who would eventually waltz to the title. With ever-improving finesse and glowing achievements, Satwik and Chirag head into the Games this time as the third-seeded pair and are duly placed among the favourites.

The French Open title win in early March at the Porte de la Chapelle, the badminton venue at the Games, will be a shot in the arm for the exuberant Indians. However, the road to gold may get ragged with tricky contenders breathing down their necks. Men’s doubles field is littered with potential medal favourites as it is one of the most unpredictable badminton disciplines currently, but here’s a look at three potential obstacles on their way.

Fajar Alfian / Muhammad Rian Ardianto (INA)

Far from the draw in Tokyo, Chirag and Satwik will relish some breathing space in the group stage in Paris. The allowance is nominal as they will bump into Indonesia’s Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto in the last match of Group C. Having suffered exits on fine margins, the Indians cannot take their initial group games against Frenchmen Ronan Labar-Lucas Corvee and world No. 31 Mark Lamsfuss and Marvin Seidel from Germany too lightly. Both pairs have yet to beat the Indians across three combined meetings.

Meanwhile, Alfian and Ardianto can appear mercurial for Chirag-Satwik, as could other lower-ranked opponents in the knockouts. The sixth-ranked pair have toppled Satwik-Chirag twice in the past, albeit during their formative years in 2017 and 2018. However, the Indians have since won three successive matches, including the Indonesia Open and Korea Open in 2023, where Alfian-Ardianto was the top seed. Winning the group will be important for the Indian duo.

Kim Astrup / Anders Skaarup Rasmussen (DEN)

While they could not get past the quarter-finals at the Tokyo Olympics, Denmark’s Kim Astrup and Anders Rasmussen continued to forge a potent combo on the road to Paris. They have certainly peaked, on rankings at least, attaining a World No. 2 position ahead of their opening game in the French capital. The Danes have also quelled Chirag-Satwik expertly over the years, recording six wins across their nine previous meetings. Astrup-Rasmussen bagged titles in Canada and Singapore but the veteran duo bowed out of the French Open in the quarter-finals and also suffered a crushing 21-7 21-10 defeat against Chirag-Satwik at the India Open in January, adding to the intrigue of their potential knockout face-off. The problem for the Danes though is to get out of a nightmare Group D with five pairs that include themselves, reigning Olympic champions Lee Yang/Wang Chi-Lin (Chinese Taipei), China’s Liu Yu Chen/Ou Xuan Yi, and 2021 world champions Takuro Hoki/Yugo Kobayashi,

Liang Weikeng / Wang Chang (CHN)

Save the propensity for big-tournament upsets, China’s Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang will undoubtedly stand as the bulwarks in Chirag-Satwik’s bid for an epochal Olympic gold medal. Weikeng and Chang, both 23-year-olds, have troubled the top-ranked Indian pair over the past year, winning five of their six clashes. The World No. 1 pair enter their maiden Olympics with a potential meeting against Chirag-Satwik slated for the semi-final or final (assuming no major upsets in either of their groups). Chang and Weikeng have already beaten the Indian pair twice this year – during the Malaysia Open final in January and the Thomas Cup quarter-final tie in early February – and offer a major threat to the young Indian duo’s gold-medal hopes.

It is worth noting that the knockout draw for doubles events will only take place after the group stages are done, and the path to the podium will only get much clearer at that point.

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