With the weight of the nation on her shoulders, the youngster put on a swashbuckling show against Thailand’s Pornpicha Choeikeewong, demolishing her in two straight sets of 21-14, 21-9 to aid India to a 3-2 victory and bring home the Gold.
History was scripted today as the Indian Women’s Badminton Team put away Thailand 3-2 in a nail-biter of a final to claim the nation’s first-ever Gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships on Sunday.
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PV Sindhu’s slump came to an end as the skipper put away Thailand’s Katethong in two dominant sets of 21-12, 21-12 to get the Indians off to a fiery start and take the 1-0 lead.
The momentum was not lost, as the Indian duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayathri battled it out against Thailand’s Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai in a heated doubles encounter that went to three sets of 21-16, 18-21, 21-16 to help India take a dominant 2-0 lead, one game away from the elusive Gold.
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But, as the saying goes, it is not over until it is over. And, Thailand embodied the very same in the next two sets to mark a spirited comeback.
One game away from losing it all, the Thai kicked into another gear as Busanan Ongbamrungphan took it to India’s Ashmita Chaliha to wash her away in two sets of 21-11, 14-21 to bring her side back from the dead and snatch away a point to make it 2-1.
And the Thai onslaught did not end there, as the duo of Benyapa Aimsaard and Nuntakarn Aimsaard capitalized off the momentum shift, punishing Indians Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra in swift back-to-back sets of 21-11, 21-9 to tie the game up 2-2 and push to the final game.
Once again, it all boiled down to India’s 17-year-old phenom Anmol Kharb.
With the weight of the nation on her shoulders, the youngster put on a swashbuckling show against Thailand’s Pornpicha Choeikeewong, demolishing her in two straight sets of 21-14, 21-9 to aid India to a 3-2 victory and bring home the Gold.
Individual Results of Badminton Asia Team Championship 2024 Final:
Singles 1: PV Sindhu beat Supanida Katethong 21-12, 21-12
Doubles 1: Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand Pullela beat Jongkolphan Kititharakul/Rawinda Pra Jongjai 21-16, 18-21, 21-16
Singles 2: Ashmita Chaliha lost to Busanan Ongbamrungphan 11-21, 14-21
Doubles 2: Priya Konjengbam/Shruti Mishra lost to Benyapa Aimsaard/Nuntakarn Aimsaard 11-21, 9-21
Singles 3: Anmol Kharb beat Pornpicha Choeikeewong 21-14, 21-9
India beat Thailand 3-2 and clinch Gold.
