Home / Badminton / India finishes their impressive run at Iran Fajr I..

India finishes their impressive run at Iran Fajr International with an impressive 6-medal haul

Satish Karunakaran/Aadya Variyath and Sumeeth Reddy/Sikki Reddy were India's first medal winners.

By Pushkar Pandey | Feb 8, 2024 | 2 Min Read

India’s performance at the Iran Fajr International Challenge was outstanding, with the country’s badminton players collecting a total of six awards, including two golds, three silvers, and a bronze medal. Satish Karunakaran, Aadya Variyath, and the pair of Sumeeth Reddy and Sikki Reddy were the standout performers in the mixed doubles section.

They showed great skill throughout the week and ended up facing each other in an all-Indian final. Karunakaran and Variyath surprised many by defeating the more experienced duo to take the gold with a final score of 22-20, 21-14. Aadya expressed that reaching the semifinals boosted their confidence.

She also highlighted that, while they had tasted victory before, winning in Iran felt special. Notably, the female players were required to wear head scarves during the awards ceremony. Karunakaran’s excellence extended into his singles game, although he was overcome in the final by Hong Kong’s Nguyen Hai Dang.

Despite a close contest, Karunakaran was unable to secure the win, with scores of 17-21, 18-21. Another gold for India came in the men’s doubles with Krishna Prasad Garaga and Sai Pratheek overcoming formidable opponents Job Castillo and Luis Armando Montoya Navarro with a score of 21-18, 21-19.

Other athlete’s performances in Iran Fajr International

In the women’s singles, fourth-seeded Tasnim Mir reached the final but fell to Lo Sin Yan of Hong Kong, who clinched the gold with a 21-14, 21-12 victory. Ayush Shetty brought home the bronze for India after losing in the semifinals to his compatriot Sathish Karunakaran. From Sri Lanka, Viren Nettasinghe took home the bronze in the men’s singles category after a superb run at the tournament.

He sailed through to the semifinals undefeated, only to be stopped by Nguyen, who would eventually win the men’s singles title, beating Karunakaran. Nettasinghe’s performance was remarkable, showcasing his skill and securing the medal above Shetty, his Indian semifinal opponent.

Nettasinghe made it to the semifinals after a tough match against Brazil’s Jonathan Matias, bouncing back with wins of 21-11 and 21-15 after losing the first set 19-21. In the earlier rounds, Nettasinghe had an easy start, beating Iran’s Mohamed Pairava in two straight sets, 21-5 and 21-11. He continued to play well by beating Ivan Rusev from Russia and Markus Barth from Norway.

He didn’t lose any sets and scored 21-13 and 23-21 against Rusev, and 21-19 and 21-11 against Barth. In total, the event had over 200 athletes from 20 different countries. This official BWF tournament took place at the Yazd Sports Hall in Yazd, Iran, from January 29 to February 4.