One Last Shot At Gold: HS Prannoy Makes Emotional Asian Games Admission

Indian shuttler HS Prannoy has confirmed that the 2026 Asian Games will be his last appearance at the continental multi-sport event, as he targets a deep run with the men's team after India's silver-medal finish in Hangzhou three years ago. Speaking to ANI on Friday, on the eve of the opening ceremony in Aichi-Nagoya, Prannoy said preparations had gone well and that the Indian men's team would be aiming for gold this time. "Yes, this is my last Asian Games. You won't see me in the Asian Games. I think that much, I'm pretty much sure," the veteran shuttler said.

Prannoy, who won an individual bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, will compete in the men's team event in Japan, having not been selected for the individual competition this time.

Talking about the preparations for his last Asian Games, he said, "I think preparations were good. Obviously, from a personal perspective, I'm not playing the individual event like last time, but I'm part of the team event this time. And as I said, last time we got a silver medal, and the gold medal wasn't very far away because we were up 2-0 in the final and then lost 3-2 in the team event."

The Indian men's team finished runners-up in Hangzhou after taking a 2-0 lead in the final before losing 2-3. Prannoy said the squad would be looking to go one step further in Aichi-Nagoya.

"I think this time the effort will definitely be for the gold medal because I think we have a very strong team in the men's section. I think it's important in a team event that everybody comes together, plays together and plays for their team-mates, because that's where the essence of the team event comes in. So, I hope that over the next couple of days we spend a lot of time together, have a few more team-bonding sessions and, hopefully, go deeper into the tournament," said Prannoy.

The 34-year-old also expressed his desire to return to the final, recalling the disappointment of narrowly missing out on gold in the previous edition.

"Definitely, we would want to play that final again. We definitely want to play that final once again because, after losing last time, the team-mates were very sad as we were so close. After being 2-0 up, you always feel that you're almost there. But that's how sport works because it's just one match that can turn things around. So, as a team member, I would say that we definitely want to play that final once again and would want to go really deep into the tournament," he said.

Meanwhile, men's doubles player Chirag Shetty said representing India at a multi-sport event remained a special experience, with the draw set to determine the pair's opening opponents.

"Obviously, playing a multi-sport event and representing India, it feels really, really special. It starts the day after tomorrow, and tomorrow we have our draw ceremony. Once the draw is out, we will know who we play, and then we can decide accordingly how we want to strategise. Yeah, really looking forward to it now," Shetty told ANI.

Shetty, who partners Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, will also feature in the men's team event. The duo won India's first-ever Asian Games badminton gold medal in men's doubles at Hangzhou 2023, defeating South Korea's Choi Sol-gyu and Kim Won-ho 21-18, 21-16 in the final. They will aim to defend their title in Japan.

Asked about the prospect of retaining the gold medal, Shetty said he wanted to focus on enjoying the competition rather than dwelling on the previous result.

"I don't want to think too much about it. I just want to go out there and give it our best. Yes, we won gold three years ago, but it's a new tournament, and we just want to go out there and enjoy every moment we are on the court. And when we are able to do that, like I said before, we play some really good badminton," said Shetty.

The 29-year-old also hoped the Indian team could give Prannoy a fitting send-off at his final Asian Games.

"Hopefully, yes. He's been a really good flagbearer for Indian sport and Indian badminton in general. He's played a pivotal role in helping us win the Thomas Cup in 2022. He's been part of the core team that has won us plenty of medals at the biggest events, like the Thomas Cup, the Asian Games and again the Thomas Cup in 2026 in Denmark. So, yes, we will miss him, and before he ends his last Asian Games, we want to give him a good farewell, hopefully," he said.

India head into the badminton competition with a 13-medal tally from previous Asian Games editions. The country's best campaign came at Hangzhou 2023, where it won one gold, one silver and one bronze.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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