Ichinomiya, September 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Young Indian shuttler Ayush Shetty has shifted his focus to the individual event at the Asian Games 2026 after helping India secure a bronze medal in the men’s team competition, saying he has learnt from his mistakes and is determined to go all the way in his individual campaign.
India, silver medallists at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games, settled for bronze after losing 3-1 to the People’s Republic of China in the men’s team semifinal at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium on Wednesday.
Lakshya Sen lost the opening match to world champion Shi Yuqi before Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated world No. 3 Chinese pair Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang to level the tie.
Ayush, the silver medallist at the 2026 Badminton Asia Championships, then went down 21-19, 21-13 to world No. 12 Li Shi Feng as China regained the lead.
With India trailing 2-1, Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun lost the fourth rubber to He Ji Ting and Liu Yi, ending India’s hopes of reaching a second successive men’s team final.
Despite the semifinal defeat, Ayush said the team could be proud of its bronze medal.
“It’s definitely a great performance from the team. Definitely, we wanted to go much further, we wanted to go all the way, but we have to be proud of the bronze medal, and we are really grateful,” Ayush told IANS.
The 21-year-old said the team would use the experience to prepare better for the individual competition.
“We’ll be preparing really well, learnt from our mistakes in the previous match, and the goal is to go all the way; that has always been our goal, so we’ll give our best in the individuals,” he said.
Competing at his maiden Asian Games, Ayush is the youngest member of the Indian squad. He said the support and camaraderie within the team had helped make his debut enjoyable.
“They’re always supportive; we have some fun off the court sometimes. Me being the youngest, and also it’s my debut Asian Games, it’s all fun off the court,” he said.
Ayush also said he was feeling confident ahead of his individual campaign after his performances in the team event.
“There’s always pressure, but I think I’m really motivated, and I think I’m feeling much more confident. I played two good matches, and I feel like I can play much better in the individuals, and we’ll be preparing really well,” he said.
The individual badminton competitions at the Asian Games 2026 will begin on Friday, with the men’s and women’s singles and doubles events scheduled from September 25 to 29.
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