On a day when the home crowd drummed, clapped, and chanted her name, India’s Tanvi Sharma walked into the National Centre of Excellence with history on her shoulders. Seventeen years after Saina Nehwal’s world junior medal, India had another finalist – a teenager who wasn’t even born when Saina stood on that podium in 2008.
But the dream run ended one step short. Tanvi, the top seed, went down 15-7, 15-12 to Thailand’s Anyapat Phichitpreechasak in the girls’ singles final of the BWF World Junior Championships on Sunday.
A nervy start, a stern word, and a spirited fightback
It wasn’t the start Tanvi had hoped for. Her trademark attacking flair never quite clicked early on. The Thai shuttler pinned her down with cross-court drives and quick net exchanges, exposing Tanvi’s nerves and forcing a string of unforced errors.
At the mid-game interval, coach Park Jae Tang – animated as ever – was seen scolding the young Indian, urging her to “play everything on the court.” The words seemed to have an effect.
As Tanvi later admitted, “I think there were a lot of unforced errors today. I was not able to play rallies when the game was about to end. Then my coach told me to just play everything on the court. So I tried, but couldn’t get the points.”
The change of side helped her find rhythm. She began the second game sharply, surging to a 6-1 lead with her smashes finding corners and deft touches at the net. But Anyapat clawed back, showing composure beyond her years. From 6-8 down, the Thai once again reeled off a string of points to silence the Guwahati crowd.
Silver with a shine
The final was over in 28 minutes, but Tanvi’s silver carried weight far beyond numbers. It was India’s first medal at the World Juniors in 17 years, and for the first time, the National Centre of Excellence – India’s new badminton nerve centre – hosted a global podium finish.
Speaking exclusively to NDTV after the match, the 17-year-old showed both maturity and gratitude. “Of course I am happy with my performance – a silver medal at my home ground means a lot. I practiced here, so it’s special. It was a great tournament for me, though today was a little disappointing. But I played my best.”
No pressure, only promise
When asked about the expectations that came with following in the footsteps of Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu, Tanvi smiled:
“I think there was no pressure at all. I was a little nervous before entering the court – this much crowd and playing the finals for the first time in World Juniors – it means a lot. I am very happy with my performance today.”
She also spoke about the significance of the new Guwahati centre:
“There is very good infrastructure here, very good coaches. I think it will help a lot to bring the young generation to the next level.”
