Badminton: Ayush signs off with silver

Ningbo: India’s Ayush Shetty signed off with a silver medal after his giant-killing run ended in a straight-game loss

to world No. 2 Shi Yu Qi in the final of the Badminton Asia Championships here on Sunday.

The 20-year-old from Mangalore struggled to find his rhythm, going down 8-21, 10-21 to the reigning world champion from China, as

India’s 61-year wait for a men’s singles gold at the event continued.

Despite the loss, it was a creditable campaign from the unseeded youngster, who became only the second Indian men’s singles player after Dinesh

Khanna to reach the final of the continental showpiece. Khanna remains the only Indian singles champion at the event, having won the title in 1965.

Since then, only the men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have lifted the trophy, winning it in 2023.

“I think it was a really good week for me. I had some great wins and all the matches were really tough.

So I think it was a great week for me and I’m really proud of the way I played throughout this week,” Ayush said.

“And yeah, achieving this after 61 years is something really special for me and it motivates me to keep working harder and come back even more stronger.” agencies