Badminton is one of the most flourishing sports currently, especially in developing countries like India. While the highly competitive game of badminton has witnessed its transformation from the period of ancient civilizations to the modern era of technological advancements and dynamic players, the popularity of the game has remained strong throughout all the phases of transition. With modern badminton leagues and tournaments such as the BWF World Championships, Para-Badminton World Championships, BWF World Tour Finals, Grand Prix, Grand Prix Gold and many others, a star-studded lineup of modern players including, Viktor Axelsen, Kento Momota, PV Sindhu and may more have evolved taking a lead to elevate the game’s prominence to unprecedented heights. While the game has witnessed several fuming rivalries across the nets, it has also witnessed some glorious moments on the field that have been etched in the history of badminton as the most cheerful moments ever.
Kento Momota’s roaring comeback
The Japanese professional badminton player, Kento Momota, is often regarded as the ace of badminton and has clinched several coveted titles, including two World Championships, two Asian Championships and an All-England title. Furthermore, the legendary Japanese badminton player also holds the Guinness world record for acquiring the highest number of men’s singles titles in a season. It was in 2020 when Kento Momota got severely injured in an unfortunate car accident in Malaysia, haunting millions of his fans worldwide. According to the reports, the car crashed into a truck, killing the driver and leaving the passengers sustaining severe injuries. After a wait of two long years, while there were strong anticipations of his untimely retirement from the game, Momota defied the odds and finally made a comeback in 2022. Momota’s comeback served as a symbol of unwavering determination and was celebrated by millions of historical badminton fans across the world.
PV Sindhu’s BWF World Championship Victory
P.V Sindhu assisted India to its maiden BWF World Championship title in 2019 and became the first Indian woman to achieve the phenomenal feat. In the thrilling finals, Sindhu managed to beat Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara and clinch the gold medal for India. P.V. Sindhu’s victory at the BWF World Championship sparked a streak of nationwide celebrations; numerous schools and higher educational institutions organized events to celebrate India’s gold medal. Furthermore, the Indian government honored P.V. Sindhu with the prestigious Padma Bhushan award for her phenomenal performance on the international stage. While mainstream sports like cricket have been the talk of the nation for decades, it was only after a phenomenal victory by Sindhu that India started celebrating badminton’s triumphs with the same exuberance and determination.
Carolina Marin’s Olympic Gold Medal
The professional Spanish badminton player Carolina Marin is often regarded as a world champion who has achieved some stellar achievements in her brief yet highly successful badminton career. Carolina Marin has been honored as the World Champion twice, and a European Champion seven times. Moreover, she has clinched the women’s singles title thrice, in 2014, 2015 and 2018. While these achievements have certainly proved Carolina’s dominance in the annals of badminton, her record-breaking performance during the 2016 Rio Olympics was widely celebrated across her country. Marin established herself as the first non-Asian woman in the history of badminton to clinch a Gold medal at the Olympics in badminton, considerably elevating Spain’s ranking in the sport.
Lee Chong’s victory at the All-England Open
Lee Chong Wei, the former professional Malaysian badminton player, witnessed the most illustrious moment of his professional career during the 2010 All-England Open. Although a top-notch badminton player on a global scale, before 2010, Lee Chong Wei failed to claim the title. After a long wait and years of dedication, the Malaysian badminton star finally managed to beat Japan’s iconic player, Kenichi Tago, at the finals and clinched the title. Chong’s triumph at the All England Open was celebrated by his home country as one of his most stellar achievements. While Chong was being felicitated, tears of joy rolled down his face, signifying the significance of the long-awaited triumph for the badminton star player.
The iconic Indonesian Team’s Victory Dance
While the badminton court has often witnessed individual players celebrating triumphs, it was during the finals of the BWF Thomas Cup in 1994 that the audience witnessed the entire Indonesian team dancing off their victorious moment most memorably and energetically ever witnessed. After their triumph was announced, the entire Indonesian team along with their coach hit the court and started with their grooving celebrations. The team’s emotional conduct was felt throughout their home country, transcending a wave of celebration and exuberance. With Indonesian streets flooded with thousands of supporters celebrating their country’s triumph at the BWF Thomas Cup 1994, the team’s victory went down in the history of the game as one of the most thrilling and cheerful moments.
