Not only men, but Indian women have also performed well in the last few editions. They break the stereotype of only men bringing medals. Indian badminton players, Ami Ghia and Kanwal Thakar Singh became the first Indian woman to win a medal in Commonwealth Games.
Ami Ghia and Kanwal Singh became the first women to win the medal in CWG. Image- Commonwealth Union
It was India's eighth Commonwealth Games appearance during the 1978 edition in Edmonton, Canada. Ami and Kanwal competed in the women's doubles section of badminton to clinch the bronze medal and became the first Indian woman to win a medal in Commonwealth Games. In that edition, India bagged a total of 15 medals which includes 5 gold, 4 silver, and 6 bronze and finished sixth in the medal tally.
Ami Ghia was known for her refined techniques. On the other hand, Kanwal Singh was known for her aggression. This combination broke all the previous records and proved to be tricky for all their opponents in 1978. Though they were inexperienced before the tournament, they have come a long way to create history.
Ami the Gujrati girl is a seven-time National singles champion, twelve-time doubles winner and a four-time mixed doubles winner. She was the first Indian woman to rank among the top 10 shuttlers in Grand Prix Circuit. She was also the youngest captain of the Indian Uber Cup team in 1977. Ami also served as a National selector for the Badminton Association of India. She achieved the Arjuna Award in 1976.
Kanwal Thakar Singh won the bronze medal in teams and mixed doubles events later at the 1982 Asian Games. She served as a Chief Patron for the Chandigarh Badminton Player Welfare Association. Kanwal's badminton career came to an end after her marriage in 1984. She got nominations for the Arjuna Award in 1978 and won the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were the only medal winners in the BWF World Championships 2025. They won the bronze medal in men’s doubles after losing to China’s Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi in the semifinals.
The 29th edition of the BWF World Championships 2025, officially known as the TotalEnergies BWF World Championships 2025, was held from 25th to 31st August 2025 at the Adidas Arena, Paris, France. This was the first time since 2010 that Paris hosted the championship. The tournament featured 383 competitors from 53 nations and witnessed historic victories across categories.
SHI Yu Qi of China won his first-ever World Championship crown, defeating defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the men's singles final. His earlier notable achievement was a runner-up finish at the 2018 BWF World Championships.
On the other hand, Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi clinched her third World Championship title in the women's singles category, defeating China’s CHEN Yu Fei. She previously won in 2021 and 2022, and now equals Spain’s Carolina Marin’s record of three titles.
South Korea’s Kim Won Ho and Seo Seung Jae won their first Men’s Doubles World Championship title, defeating Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi of China. Seo Seung Jae had earlier secured Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles titles in the 2023 BWF World Championships.
In the women’s doubles, Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China won their maiden world title by defeating Malaysia’s Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan. This marks China’s 24th Women’s Doubles title out of 29 editions.
Meanwhile, Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei created history by defeating China’s Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin in the mixed doubles.
BWF World Championships 2025: India's Performance
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were the only medal winners in the championship. They won the bronze medal in men’s doubles after losing to China’s Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi in the semifinals. Earlier in the event, they assured India a medal by defeating Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik (two-time Olympic medallists). This was their second World Championship medal after the 2022 bronze, extending India’s medal streak since 2011.
On the other hand, two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu lost to Indonesia’s Putri Kusuma Wardani in the quarter finals and failed to achieve her 6th championship medal. Sindhu remains India’s most successful shuttler, with 5 BWF World Championship medals, including India’s only gold in 2019 (Basel, Switzerland).
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu has made it to the quarter-finals of the BWF World Championships after she knocked out World No. 2 Wang Zhi Yi of China in straight games in the women's singles round of 16 match on Thursday.
Sindhu maintained her dominance against Wang Zhi Yi. She defeated Wang for the third time in the 5th head to head match. Sindhu was the underdog against Wang, who was coming off a title triumph at the China Open last month.
World No. 15 Sindhu won the first game by a margin of 21-19 after a tough fight. After winning the first game, Sindhu took a lead of 12-6 in the second game as well. She maintained this lead and won the match by winning the second game by a margin of 21-15.
Sindhu continued her perfect run in the tournament
With this win, PV Sindhu continued her perfect run in the tournament. She has not dropped a single game in her three matches so far. The two-time Olympic medallist is now just one win away from securing her sixth World Championships medal.
For Sindhu, this victory also marks her first quarter-final appearance at the World Championships since her title-winning run six years ago. It also sends a strong message to rivals that the seasoned campaigner is far from done on the big stage.
Sindhu will now take on World No. 9 Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia in the last eight. Sindhu has faced her four times and won twice.
The 23-year-old Wardani has been in good form this year, having won 27 matches and lost only 12 games. Sindhu, on the other hand, has lost 12 games in 2025 and won just nine. Wardani’s best performances this year have been third-place finishes at the Thailand Masters and Swiss Open.
Unpack the performance of India in two grand sporting events in their history of participation. We bring you the accurate comparison of Commonwealth vs Olympics and India's medal ratios in them. Check them out.
The Olympic Games are the world's oldest sporting spectacle, uniting athletes globally every four years. Medals here represent the ultimate standard of international athletic excellence. In contrast, the Commonwealth Games, known as the "Friendly Games," gather athletes from Commonwealth nations. While a major multi-sport event, its scale and competitive depth differ from the Olympics.
We bring you a direct comparison of performance in Commonwealth vs Olympics and India's medal ratios, based on their historical participation.
India's Olympic medal journey
Neeraj Chopra after winning a Gold medal in 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Image | NDTV
India debuted in the Olympic Games in 1900, where Norman Pritchard, a British-Indian athlete, won 2 silver medals in athletics. This victory marked the beginning of India's medal book at the grandest stage of sport.
For a significant period following this, India's Olympic identity was primarily defined by the success of Men's Hockey team. They dominated the sport, winning six consecutive goldmedals from 1928 to 1956, and adding further golds in 1964 and 1980.
India's rise in the Olympics came after the 2000s, where individual athletes proved themselves and won medals for the nation.
K. D. Jadhav (1952): Bronze in Wrestling. First individual medalist for independent India.
Leander Paes (1996): He brought the first-ever medal for India in tennis with his Bronze medal win.
Karnam Malleswari (2000): First Indian woman to win an Olympic medal (Bronze in Weightlifting)
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (2004): Silver in Shooting. India's first medal in this sport.
Vijender Singh (2008): First Indian athlete to win a medal in Boxing (Bronze).
Abhinav Bindra (2008): India's first individual Gold medalist (Sport: Shooting)
Saina Nehwal (2012): Second Indian woman to win an Olympic medal. She also brought the first medal for India in Badminton with her Bronze.
Neeraj Chopra (2020/2021): Gold in Javelin throw. India's second individual gold.
Manu Bhaker (2024): Second Indian to win 2 medals (Bronze in shooting) in a single Olympic edition.
India's dominance in the Commonwealth Games
Jaspal Rana- India's most successful athlete at the Commonwealth Games. Image | X
India's debut at the Commonwealth Games (then British Empire Games) was in 1934 in London, where Rashid Anwar won the nation's first medal – a bronze in wrestling. Over the decades, India's presence has grown, cementing its status as a leading nation within the Commonwealth sporting fraternity.
Notable achivements:
Milkha Singh (Athletics): First Indian to win a Gold medal at the CWG, in 1958.
Jaspal Rama(Shooting): Most successful Indian athlete at the commonwealth games. He won 15 medals overall (9 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze)
Sharath Kamal (Table Tennis): Won 4 medals (3 gold, 1 silver) in 2022, making him India's most successful athlete at that event.
Ami Ghia and Kanwal Thakar Singh(Badminton): First Indian women to win a medal in the CWG. They won a bronze medal in women's doubles badminton in 1978.
Roopa Unnikrishnan(Shooting): First Indian woman to win a Gold medal at the CWG in 1998.
Indian flag alongside the logos of Commonwealth Games and Olympics. Image | sportzpoint
OLYMPICS: India has won 41 medals in the history of Olympic Games, which includes 10 gold medals, 10 silver medals, and 21 bronze medals. India's most successful sport Olympic sport is Field Hockey (Men's team). They earned 13 medals in total.
COMMONWEALTH GAMES: India has won 564 medals in the history of CWG, with 203 gold, 190 silver, and 171 bronze medals. Their most successful sport at the games is Shooting, where they won 63 gold medals, and a total of 135 medals.
BWF US Open 2025: India's Ayush Shetty wins men's singles, Tanvi Sharma finishes as runner-up in women's singles
Ayush Shetty won his maiden Super 300 title by winning the men's singles title at BWF US Open 2025. Meanwhile, 16-year-old sensation Tnavi Sharma finished runner-up in women's singles.
Ayush Shetty won his maiden Super 300 title by winning the men's singles title at the BWF US Open 2025. Meanwhile, 16-year-old sensation Tnavi Sharma finished runner-up in women's singles.
Image | BAI on X
Ayush defeated Canada's Brian Yang in straight games 21-13, 21-18 to lift the title. Shetty became the 5th Indian men's singles shuttler to win a Super 300+ title after Lakshya Sen,HS Prannoy, Priyanshu Rajawat, and Sameer Verma.
After 8 years, India won a title at the US Open in any discipline since H.S. Prannoy won in 2017.
Image | Badminton Photo via BAI on X.
However, it was not a perfect end for 16-year-old Tanvi Sharma as she faced a heartfelt defeat against home favourite and No. 1 seed Beiwen Zhang of the USA 11-21, 21-16, 21-10 in the finals.
Tanvi, who is now the youngest player ever to reach the final of any Super 300 tournament, had won all the sets until the final. She had defeated WR23, WR58, WR50 & WR40 to reach the final.
🚨𝑩𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮 🏸
🇮🇳Ayush Shetty won his maiden BWF Super300 title, winning the US Open 2025.
Indian star shuttler PV Sindhu has been eliminated from the Indonesia Open 2025 badminton tournament after losing in the round of 16. She was defeated badly by Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong in the pre-quarterfinals on Thursday.
Sindhu shows tremendous fight in first two games
PV Sindhu started the match brilliantly. She won the first game 22-20. She did not give any chance to the opponent to recover in this game. Pornpawee Chochuwong had no answer to Sindhu's aggressive returns as the score read 10-16 in favour in the first game. However, the tables turned completely in the second game.
Where Sindhu looked set to lose the first game, she pulled it right back in to clinch it, as the score read 22-20. After winning the first game, where Sindhu hoped to capitalise, Chochuwong was quick to turn it around, dominating Sindhu in the game, winning it by 21-10; furthermore, she went on to win the third game by 21-18, as Sindhu was eliminated from the Indonesia Open 2025 badminton tournament.
Satwik-Chirag enter quarterfinals
On the other hand, Indian men’s doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty came back from a game down to notch up a win to enter the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Open 2025.
Satwik-Chirag beat Denmark’s Rasmus Kjaer and Frederik Sogaard 16-21, 21-18, 22-20 in a match lasting one hour and eight minutes in the BWF Super 1000 tournament.
Treesa-Gayatri lost
The women’s doubles duo Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand also lost 13-21, 22-24 to Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto of Japan in the round of 16 stage.
In mixed doubles, Sathish Karunakaran and Aadya Variyath exited after a straight-game loss against Thailand’s Dechapol Puavarankuroh and Supissara Paewsampran. The scoreline read 21-7, 21-12 in favour of the Thai shuttlers, who wrapped up the match in just 25 minutes.
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