Shocking Satwik-Chirag adds to the growing list of lost Asian Games golds in India

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s Asian Games campaign ended almost before it began for the pair who arrived in Aichi-Nagoya with renewed confidence.

Defending champion and world No. 5 men’s doubles pair they were overwhelmed in the opening round on Friday, they lost 21-12, 19-21, 14-21 to Thailand’s world No. 36 Pakkapon Teeraratsakule and Peeratchai Sukhphun in just over an hour.

Considering what had come before, this was an especially crushing defeat. Satwik and Chirag were faultless in the men’s team event, defeating reigning world champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang 21-11, 22-20 in India’s semi-final against China earlier this week. They also won the China Masters and bounced back strongly in their own way quarter-final trip to the World Cup. Their progress has been closely watched after Satwik’s shoulder injury sidelined him for several months earlier this year.

Asian Games 2026: Medal table

Instead, the pair who won the first-ever gold at the Asian Men’s Badminton Games in Hangzhou are now without a medal. The Thai pair played with pace and exceptional net control, keeping the rally flat and denying the Indians the length they needed to unleash their signature smashes. Satwik and Chirag were forced into errors and had no answer after losing their decision-making speed.

It was also their first defeat to the Thai pair in three meetings, with all three encounters going to the decider. Courtesy: SonyLIV Screengrab

The shock exit is the latest and perhaps the most telling example of India’s difficulties in defending some of the gold medals won in Hangzhou. India finished fourth overall at the previous Games with 28 gold medals and a total of 107 medals. In Aichi-Nagoya, several of those titles have already slipped away, with some of the defeats coming in races where India were among the frontrunners.

ANOTHER GOLD MEDAL THAT SLIPPED OUT

Equestrian, dressage team: India went from gold in Hangzhou to fourth in Aichi-Nagoya. Hriday Chheda was the only member of the 2022 Golden Quartet to return, with Shruti Vora, Gaurav Pundir and Jai Sud completing the new look team.
Women’s 10m Air Pistol Individual: India created a gold-silver haul in Hangzhou through Palak Gulia and Esha Singh. There was no medal in Aichi-Nagoya, with Manu Bhaker finishing fifth.
Shooting, Women’s 10m Air Pistol Team: The defending champions finished fourth, equaling Vietnam with 1719 points, but missing out on bronze in the indoor 10s.
Shooting, Men’s 10m Air Pistol Team: India went from gold to fourth place with Kamaljeet, Kedarling Balakrishna Uchaganve and Aakash Bharadwaj missing out on the final altogether.
Shooting, men’s 10m air rifle team: India relinquished the title but remained on the podium, taking silver behind China after winning gold in Hangzhou.
Athletics, Women’s Javelin: Annu Rani, the Hangzhou champion, is not competing in Aichi-Nagoya after being left out of the team for failing to meet the qualifying standard. There is no Indian competitor in the event.
Athletics, Men’s Javelin: Defending champion Neeraj Chopra is also missing after an ankle ligament injury ended his 2026 season. India have Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh in action but the title is bound to change hands.

India’s gold medals in Aichi-Nagoya are currently just two, with women’s cricket and mixed team shooting pair Suruchi Singh-Kamaljeet taking the title so far. Several major title defenses remain alive, including men’s cricket, men’s and women’s kabaddi, so the final tally is far from decided. There are athletes who entered the Asian Games with form and can surprise.

But the early warning signs are hard to ignore. India arrived in Japan to follow up on the 28 gold catches from Hangzhou. With some of their most respected champions already defeated and Satwik and Chirag suffering the most unexpected exit of all, the path to a gold medal has become much more complicated.

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