BWF World Championships: Srikanth ends golden year of Indian sport with silver

An unprecedented year in Indian sport ended with Kidambi Srikanth’s determined pursuit of a world title in badminton, and ended with a silver medal at the BWF World Championships in Huelva, Spain on Sunday.
This year, 2021, which accommodated a postponed Olympics, and within them, an Indian track and field gold medalist, at least, among others, had soared to dizzying heights at the end of the blonde, but Luo Kin Yu of Singapore had plans to spoil a New Years Eve party in India.
How it happened: Kedambi Srikanth vs. Lu Kin Yu
Luo may have stopped Srikanth 15-21, 20-22 at the top, but that wouldn’t stop Srikanth from becoming the last Indian champion in a very successful year for Indian sport. Despite their recent setbacks, Srikanth and Lakshya Sen, who finished with a bronze medal after losing in the semi-finals, opened a new chapter when Indian badminton celebrated its first two medals in the game’s biggest tournament.

Ranked 22-14 in Srikanth, Loh has always been considered a great talent and medal prospect. In Huelva, he knocked out world No. 1 Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen in the first round and last year’s silver medalist Anders Antonsen 23-21, 21-14 in the semi-finals before winning the title on Sunday.

Luo, who emigrated from Malaysia, won the first gold medal for Singapore. Interestingly, despite having many great players, Malaysia has never won a gold medal at the World Championships.

Despite playing it four years ago, Srikanth knew what he was doing. He was in a tough fight and went on the offensive early on. However, despite a healthy 9-3 lead in the opener, Srikanth lost his way to squander the lead. Luo took advantage of the opportunity. He slowly erased the margin and reached the Indian breaking a sharp straight line before the lines.
After that, Loh took confidence and dominated Srikanth on the net. From 12-12, Luo advanced to 19-14. The Indian found it difficult to close the gap and Luo closed it with the least amount of fuss.

Srikanth had to change his strategy in the second match. Srikanth was fully aware that Luo was dominating him on the grid and began to involve his opponent in meetings. With Loh uncomfortable in front, Srikanth repeatedly aimed at that angle. The former world number one took a 9-6 lead in a single stage, but Luo came back strong with a six-point winning streak.