The 19-year-old rising badminton star, Ayush Shetty, who clinched the bronze medal at the 2023 World Junior Championships in the boys’ singles event, is currently making waves in the badminton world with his successful exploits behind the net. Born in Karkala, Karnataka, the teenager also proved his fearless and hard-hitting approach at the 2021 Denmark Junior International where he fearlessly defeated Yohanes Saut Marcellyno with a score of 21–17, 21–16.
Well, although Ayush faced a heartbreaking defeat in the semifinals of the 2023 World Junior Championships against Alwi Farhan with scores of 18–21, 15–21, he undoubtedly rose to prominence for his groundbreaking performance throughout the tournament. Ayush established himself as the only Indian male shuttler to finish on the podium at that edition.
Unfortunately, overextended at the net, the sensational 19-year-old Indian badminton star Ayush Shetty fell short in his men’s singles semi-final match against Chinese Taipei’s Lin Chun-Yi at Orleans Masters 2025 badminton in France recently, ruling India out of the prestigious tournament. While the supporters of Indian badminton are hoping for Ayush to learn from his sour defeat at the Orleans Masters 2025, he is already gearing up for his upcoming tournaments.
In this article, we will take a look at the top five lesser-known facts about the Indian rising badminton star, Ayush Shetty.
Ayush Shetty: Top 5 Lesser-Known Facts About the Rising Badminton Star
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Ayush Shetty’s Early Days Badminton Exploits
Well, Ayush started playing badminton at the young age of seven. Although initially, Ayush used to play with his neighbourhood friends, his father soon spotted his hard-hitting talent and enrolled him in a badminton training academy in his hometown, Karkala, Maharashtra.
Ayush started off with his formal training under coach Subhash in Karkala and later with coach Chetan in Mangalore. Ever since, there has been no turning back for the young Indian badminton player, Ayush, who is all set to defy the odds and lead India to a spine-chilling streak of victories at the prestigious badminton tournaments on a global level.
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Ayush Shetty’s Rise In The Junior Circuit
With his fearless approach and sharp gameplay against top-ranked opponents, Ayush soon started creating waves in the badminton world and broke into the top 10 of the BWF World Junior Rankings on November 21, 2023.
Interestingly, Ayush’s path-breaking performance at the 2023 BWF World Junior Championships held in Spokane, USA played a major role in pushing his rank up in the BWF World Junior Rankings. Although Ayush couldn’t lead India to a victory against Indonesia’s Alwi Farhan and concluded the match with scores of 18–21, 15–21, he garnered immense attention from badminton aficionados from all over the world.
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Ayush Shetty’s Academic Excellence
Well, whoever believes that sports and academics can’t go hand in hand should learn their lesson from the 19-year-old Indian badminton star player, Ayush. Apart from making significant strides in the world of badminton, Ayush has also prioritised his education since his early childhood days.
According to recent reports, Ayush is currently pursuing a B.Sc. in Sports Science at Reva University in Bengaluru. Additionally, Ayush is also undergoing professional training at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in Bengaluru, under the guidance of coach Sagar Chopra.
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Ayush Shetty’s Unmatched Records
The rising badminton star delivered a path-breaking performance at the 2023 Badminton Asia Junior Championships held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia and fought his way to the final with an unending series of spine-chilling victories over top-ranked players from China, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Although the 19-year-old badminton star, Ayush, fell short in the final against China’s Hu Zhean, he managed to secure the silver medal, establishing himself as the second Indian male shuttler to achieve this feat in the tournament’s history, after Lakshya Sen’s bronze in 2018 as of March 2025.
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Ayush Shetty : India’s Future Olympic Prospect
Well, keeping in mind his recent performances on the badminton court against top-ranked opponents from the powerhouse countries like China and Malaysia when it comes to the sport of badminton, Ayush Shetty could undoubtedly be India’s next hope to be a flag bearer at the Olympic Games.
After clinching a silver medal at the 2023 Badminton Asia Junior Championships and a bronze medal at the 2023 World Junior Championships in the boys’ singles event, Ayush Shetty is currently being touted as one of India’s future Olympic medal prospects in badminton after legendary Indian badminton players PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth.
