India badminton great Prakash Padukone didn't mince his words while summing up the shuttlers' performance at the Paris Olympics 2024. India's badminton contingent featuring Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, PV Sindhu, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Ashwini Ponappa-Tanisha Crasto will return from Paris empty-handed after the country's challenge in the sport ended with the 22-year-old's defeat in the men's singles bronze medal match against Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia.
Padukone, who was with Lakshya throughout the Olympics campaign alongside his coach U. Vimal Kumar, was frustrated with the Indian badminton contingent's performance in Paris and said that the players will have to take responsibility as they no longer can hold federations and government accountable.
“After Milkha Singh in 64′ and PT Usha in the 80s, we have so many fourth place finishes. I think that it’s high time that the players also take responsibility. Atleast for the results in this Olympics and the previous one, you cannot hold the federations and government responsible for the results. They have all done whatever they can. Ultimately the responsibility is on the players to go an deliver when it matters the most,” Padukone said while speaking to the reporters.
Padukone further said that instead of asking the federations, the athletes have to ask themselves and introspect if they are working hard enough or not. "The players need to introspect, and not just keep asking for more from the federations. They need to ask themselves whether they are working hard enough because all of these players have their own physios and all the facilities. I don’t think any other country, including the US, has so many facilities," the former India shuttler added.
While Lakshya Sen reached the bronze medal match, PV Sindhu, India's two-time Olympic medallist couldn't go past the Round of 16 stage. The favourites, the men's doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost in the quarter-finals while HS Prannoy lost to Lakshya in the Round of 16.The women's doubles duo of Ashwini Ponappa and Tanisha Crasto was knocked out without winning a single match.
India's streak of winning a badminton medal in each of the Olympics since London 2012 was also broken in Paris.
