Badminton Asia Team Championships 2024: Anmol Kharb seals historic title for India women

The Indian women’s team won a historic gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships 2024 after beating Thailand 3-2 in the final in Shah Alam, Malaysia on Sunday.

Anmol Kharb proved to be India’s trump card yet again as the 17-year-old beat a higher-ranked opponent in the deciding rubber to hand India a thrilling victory.

This was India’s maiden title in the history of the continental competition. The men’s Indian badminton team had previously won two medals in 2016 and 2020, but both were bronze.

Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu, the world No. 11, kicked off the Indian title charge in style, beating the 17th ranked Supanida Katethong 21-12, 21-12.

The Indian badminton player dominated her Thai counterpart in the opening singles rubber and wrapped up the contest in just 39 minutes. It was Sindhu’s fifth win in eight meetings against Katethong.

In the second rubber, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, who had produced a series of exceptional results throughout the tournament, stepped up yet again. The world No. 23 Indian badminton pair upset the 10th ranked Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai 21-16, 18-21, 21-16 to give India a 2-0 lead.

The Thai fightback started with Busanan Ongbamrungphan ousting Ashmita Chaliha 21-11, 21-14 in the second singles rubber of the tie. Ongbamrungphan, ranked 18th in the world, accounted for world No. 53 in just 35 minutes.

Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra then lost 21-11, 21-9 to Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard, stretching the tie to the final match.

Once again, India’s fate rested on the 17-year-old Anmol Kharb.

Facing world No. 45 Pornpicha Choeikeewong in a high-pressure deciding match, the teenager, placed 472nd in the BWF badminton rankings, didn’t flinch and walked away with a 21-14, 21-9 win to hand India a historic first.

This was not the first time in the competition that Anmol stepped up for India in a high-pressure situation.

In the group stage, she defeated world No. 149 Wu Luo Yu in a must-win match to help India beat the People’s Republic of China and then got the better of world No. 29 Natsuki Nidaira in a similar situation in the semi-finals against Japan.

“I wanted to play my 100 per cent but there was no pressure on me at all," Anmol said. "We were confident of winning the fifth match. The experience has been really good, because everyone was higher-ranked than me. I’m very happy because it’s a big achievement at 17 years old. Now I have to train harder to beat tougher opponents.”

The Indian men’s team was knocked out in the quarter-finals.

The Badminton Asia Team Championships 2024 offered valuable Race to Paris 2024 ranking points, which will be crucial for shuttlers looking to compete at the upcoming Olympic Games.

It also served as qualifying tournament for the BWF Thomas & Uber Cup Finals 2024, with the four semi-finalists (men and women) guaranteed a place.