Bornil clinches U-15 gold in Badminton Asia Junior Championships

India’s U15 shuttler Bornil Aakash Changmai overcame Fan Hong Xuan of China in the final to clinch the gold medal in the Badminton Asia U17 and U15 Junior Championships in Chengdu on October 22, 2023.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Bornil Aakash Changmai on Sunday became only the second Indian shuttler to win a gold medal in the U15 boys’ singles category at the Badminton Asia Junior (U17 and U15) Championships in Chengdu, after defeating a Chinese rival in the title showdown.

In the girls’ U17 final, Tanvi Sharma went down fighting to Thailand’s Yataweemin Ketklieng 17-21, 21-11, 19-21 in 37 minutes at the Chengdu Wenjiang Gymnasium.

Despite the loss, Tanvi became only the second Indian girl to enter the U17 final after Unnati Hooda, who played the final in Nonthaburi, Thailand, last year but ended up with a silver medal.

The 13-year-old Bornil displayed remarkable composure and skill, especially in a tight first game, to overcome Fan Hong Xuan 21-19, 21-13 in 34 minutes.

Bornil, who hails from Assam, became the second junior badminton player after Siril Verma in 2013 to bag the top podium finish in the prestigious tournament.

The Indian shuttler gave consistent performances all through the tournament and had beaten compatriot Jagsher Singh Khangurra in the semifinal on Saturday.

Bornil’s performance has added another feather to the remarkable success story of Indian shuttlers on the junior circuit after Ayush Shetty secured the bronze medal in the BWF World Junior Championships at Spokane, USA, earlier this month.

Top Indian shuttlers recently returned from the Asian Games in Hangzhou with several firsts, with the men’s doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy clinching a historic gold and becoming the world No. 1 pair.

Badminton stalwart HS Prannoy too came up with a standout performance, clinching a bronze medal in the continental showpiece.