H.S. Prannoy Secures Asian Games Bronze Despite Back Injury, Ends India’s 41-Year Wait

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India’s H.S. Prannoy, still grappling with a recurring back injury sustained during training, settled for a bronze medal at the Asian Games after falling to China’s Li Shifeng in the men’s singles semifinals on Friday.

Operating at only 50 percent of his usual capacity, Prannoy faced a straight games defeat, losing 16-21, 9-21. Despite his physical limitations, Prannoy managed to secure India’s second medal in men’s singles at the Asian Games, ending a 41-year drought since Syed Modi’s bronze in 1982 in New Delhi.

Prannoy had a promising start in the first game but was unable to capitalize on his lead, as the 23-year-old Chinese player, Li Shifeng, displayed exceptional skills and made few errors. This marked Li Shifeng’s first victory against Prannoy in four encounters.

Prannoy enjoyed an 8-3 advantage in the first game, but Li Shifeng maintained pressure, eventually catching up with Prannoy at 14-14. Although Prannoy attempted tactical adjustments, he couldn’t execute his strategy effectively and lost the first game 16-21.

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By this point, Prannoy, who had been unable to practice adequately due to severe back pain before traveling to Hangzhou, was running on fumes and couldn’t muster a strong fight.]

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Li Shifeng played at an astonishing level, delivering pinpoint strokes to the baseline and maintaining impeccable consistency, dictating the pace and denying Prannoy many attacking opportunities.

Reflecting on the match, Prannoy acknowledged, “I had my chances in the first game but experienced a lapse in concentration, which cost me the entire match. I couldn’t recover from that situation.” He attributed this lapse to a deviation from his intended strategy.

Prannoy revealed that he was currently performing at only 50 percent of his usual capacity, lacking the physical condition to challenge Li Shifeng. He explained that the back injury had resurfaced a week to ten days before his departure to Hangzhou and prevented him from proper training. However, he commended the Indian badminton team’s support staff for preparing him for the match and the individual competitions, even though the semifinal win against Korea in the team competition had drained him physically.

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