Mighty efforts ask for mightier celebrations and India's badminton superstar HS Prannoy knows a thing or two about celebrating. On October 5 (Thursday), the Indian shuttler played an exhilarating quarter-final match against Malaysia's Lee Zii Jia. He lost two match points in Game 2 and then came back to save two match points in Game 3 before providing a moment of extreme joy to over a billion Indians by securing a medal in badminton at the ongoing Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou.
After securing victory in a gripping and exhausting match, winded Prannoy fell to the court in sheer delight and relief. He tapped the court with aggression before getting back up. He then removed his jersey, exposing his heavily strapped back and hurled the shirt onto the court before embracing his coach on the sidelines. The emotions were there for everyone to see.
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The celebration was not over yet. Before packing up his kit, Prannoy grooved on the sidelines soaking in all the applause and cheers from the crowd.
Watch the video here:
Coming back to match, Prannoy secured a semifinal berth by defeating Lee Zii Jia with scoreline of 21-16, 21-23, 23-21 at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou on Thursday, October 5. He is now assured of at least a bronze medal at the mega event.
He is set to compete against the victor of the match between Indonesia's Anthony Ginting and China's Li Shi Feng in Friday's semifinal.
With this victory, Prannoy ended India's prolonged wait for a men's singles medal at the Asian Games since Syed Modi's bronze in the 1982 New Delhi edition.
The world championship bronze medalist had been sidelined from the team championship final due to his back injury, resulting in India's 2-3 loss to China and settling for silver.
Commenting on his condition, he stated, "It's impacting me. But that's sports for you. You can't always be at your best. Yet, you must find ways to win even when you're not fully fit. Today was one such day for me."
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