The defeat of Malaysians Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in their quarterfinal match at the Paris Olympics by Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, 21-13, 14-21, 16-21, has to rank among the most agonizing moments for any Indian fan. Not only were the Indian pair disappointed not to receive a medal, but they were also expected to bring home a gold medal for their nation.
However, as luck would have it, they lost a match before the medal round. They didn’t play badly, but in those two specific quarterfinal games, Chirag committed a few mistakes that he wouldn’t ordinarily do. Their previous coach, Mathias Boe, explained exclusively to Insidesport from Denmark that the team was under immense pressure, and failed when it mattered the most.
When asked why Satwik/Chirag didn’t succeed, he replied, “It’s pretty simple.” A great deal of pressure exists. Many people have high expectations, mostly of themselves. That’s where they went wrong, knowing they had a solid opportunity. Add in the pressure from the entire populace after that, and it naturally makes a big difference.
“That’s how it is at the Olympic Games,” he continued. This is a massive amount of strain, and it can be extremely challenging to manage. And I believe that’s what Satwik and Chirag showed us there. In the quarterfinal, it was a little bit excessive. Additionally, they lacked consistency at times.
However, this is not meant to imply that Satwik/Chirag is a subpar team. They have everything it takes to be the greatest in the world; they were the former World No. 1 team. The Malaysians were so dominant in the opening game that they had little trouble moving around the court. When these guys were playing at their best in the first game, the Malaysians were unable to accomplish much. Unfortunately, they were a tad too erratic. Additionally when we performed poorly and committed far too many avoidable mistakes.