Indian badminton player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy (right) has set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest smash by a male.
Clocking an astounding 565kmh, he surpassed Malaysian player Tan Boon Heong’s record of 493kmh in May 2013.
The accomplishment, which was announced last week, follows on the heels of the victory by Satwik and his partner Chirag Shetty at the Korea Open on Sunday and Indonesia Open a few weeks earlier.
Notably, Satwik’s smash even surpassed a Formula 1 car’s top race speed of 397.36kmh.
Malaysia’s Tan Pearly recorded the fastest female badminton hit at 438kmh.
Satwik’s smash was recorded in a controlled environment at the Yonex factory gymnasium in Soka, Japan. The record was meticulously verified by Guinness World Records judges.
Satwik has been on a roll over the past month.
His Korean Open win with Chirag catapulted them to a career-best second spot in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings. They displaced Chinese duo Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, whom they defeated in the semi-finals.
The top spot is held by Indonesians Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto, who lost to Satwik and Chirag in the Korea Open final.
The wins in South Korea and Indonesia extended Satwik and Chirag’s unbeaten run to 11 matches.
India’s top men’s pair have also made a positive start to their campaign at the ongoing Japan Open, beating Indonesia’s Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin 21-16, 11-21, 21-13 on Wednesday to move into the second round.
The third-seeded pair were scheduled to face Denmark’s Jeppe Bay and Lasse Molhede in the second round of the Japan Open on Thursday.
This year, Satwik and Chirag have demonstrated their prowess with their first title at the Swiss Open, defeating the Chinese pair of Ren Xiangyu and Tan Qiang in the final. They them emerged Asian champions at the Badminton Asia Championships in Dubai.
Their winning streak continued at the Indonesia Open, where they defeated Malysia’s world No. 4 pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik to secure their first BWF World Super 1000 title. The victory also marked them as the first men’s doubles pair from India to win the event.
Last year, Satwik and Chirag started the year by winning the India Open and were part of India’s Thomas Cup-winning team.
They lost the first game to Indonesia’s Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo and Mohammad Ahsan but won the second game and closed out the third game, giving India a 2-0 lead over Indonesia. This was pivotal in helping India bag its maiden Thomas Cup trophy.
Satwik and Chirag’s achievements are testament to their dedication, hard work and talent, noted India Today.
Their rise to world No.2 is a significant milestone in Indian badminton history, inspiring many young athletes in the country.
But their journey is far from over, with many expecting them to bag the world No. 1 ranking soon.
The ongoing Japan Open provides the first opportunity for the Indian shuttlers to move to No. 1, reported Sportstar. The pair must win the tournament and or finish as runners-up if the top-seeded Indonesians are eliminated in the Round of 16.
There are multiple BWF tournaments scheduled for the rest of the year after the Japan Open, with the China Open and BWF Tour Finals offering the most ranking points.
Indo-Asian News Service
