Asian Games: "Toughest two weeks" of my career, bronze in men's singles ranks higher, says badminton star Prannoy

Indian shuttler H.S Prannoy on Friday described playing in the Asian Games with a back injury as the "toughest two weeks" of his career, adding that the bronze he won in men's singles ranks big as it came after a gap of 40 years.

Prannoy, a bronze medallist at the World Championship in 2023 and who helped India win the Thomas Cup for the first time in the event's history, soldiered on bravely despite a debilitating back injury, that he had suffered earlier, helped the team win the silver medal in the Team competition and then came back to win the bronze medal. Prannoy secured the bronze with a tough three-game win over Malaysia's Li Zii Jia.

On Friday, a drained and half-fit Prannoy lost to China's Li Shifeng in straight games. Prannoy thus became the first Indian after Syed Modi in 1982 to win a men's singles medal in the Asian Games.

"To my mind, it's big. After 40 years, someone from India is getting an Asian Games medal in men's singles. This shows how tough the Asian Games are in badminton. It's a kind of World Championship for us.