Silver lining for Tanvi Sharma after golden run at World Jr Championships | Badminton News
After playing a pivotal role in helping India win a historic bronze in the team event of the BWF World Junior Championships, Tanvi Sharma played her heart out to reach the girls’ singles final in Guwahati.With gold in sight, the 16year-old eventually fell short, going down to Thailand’s Anyapat Phichitpreechasak 7-15, 12-15 in the summit clash at the National Centre of Excellence on Sunday.“I am very happy with the silver medal but a little disappointed that I didn’t get the gold. I played very well and was confident about the final also, but it didn’t happen,” Tanvi told TOI after the match.Despite the heartbreak, she became only the fifth Indian to bag a silver in the competition after Aparna Popat (1996), Saina Nehwal (2006), Siril Verma (2015) and Sankar Muthuswamy (2022).Anyapat, who Tanvi had beaten in the semifinals of the 2023 Badminton Asia U17 & U15 Junior Championships, did not allow the Indian to settle this time, taking the first game in just nine minutes. In the second, Tanvi led 6-1 and 8-5 at the break, but a string of errors and mounting pressure saw the Thai opponent seize control again.“I was in a comfortable position, but suddenly I started making mistakes. I also got nervous because of the big stadium and the crowd,” said Tanvi, who has been training at the NCE for a year now.Her coach Park Taesang kept urging her to play long rallies, but the momentum had already swung. “He told me to play my game and stay in the rallies to get points. There are days when I make these mistakes, so I need to work on that — especially on my net play and endurance,” she said.Tanvi’s performance over the past week, however, has been a huge positive for India’s junior badminton setup. Her poise, movement, and shot selection throughout the event have impressed coaches and selectors alike, marking her out as one of the most promising shuttlers to emerge from the new National Centre of Excellence programme.Having already shown her ability to handle pressure on the world stage, the teenager now aims to break into the senior circuit. “This result gives me confidence that I can compete at the next level,” Tanvi said. “I’ll keep improving and work on consistency so I can do well in the senior tournaments too.”
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Tanvi credited her mother Meena and coach Park for their unwavering support. “My coach was very happy after the semifinal and asked me to just play my game in the final without thinking about the result. My mother has always guided me and travels with me everywhere,” she added.As for the boys’ singles final, China’s Liu Yang Ming Yu beat top seed Mohd Zaki Ubaidillah of Indonesia 15-10, 15-11 to clinch the title. China’s Tan Ke Xuan and Wei Yue Yue took the girls’ doubles crown, while Korea’s Lee Hyeong Woo and Cheon Hye In won the mixed doubles title.
