Khangurra reaches world junior badminton semis, secures medal for India

India’s Jagsher Singh Khangurra has reached the boys’ singles semi-finals of the BWF World Junior Championships in Cairo, Egypt, guaranteeing himself at least a bronze medal. He recovered from an opening-game defeat to beat Chinese Taipei’s Yuan-Syue Jhuang in the quarter-finals.

Khangurra won 6-15, 17-15, 15-12 and will face Indonesia’s Radithya Bayu Wardhana for a place in the final. The result makes him the ninth Indian boy to earn a podium finish at the junior world championships.

The 14th seed had a difficult start against Jhuang, managing only six points in the first game. He responded in a closely fought second game, winning it 17-15 before taking the decider 15-12 to complete his comeback.

The Indian, who stands 18th in the junior world rankings, had beaten Malaysia’s Lee Qian Chong 15-9, 15-8 in the preceding round. His opening match in the round of 32 had also gone the distance, ending in a 15-11, 10-15, 17-15 victory over Thailand’s Punnatat Prempunpong.

Khangurra comes from Nabha in Punjab and has six international medals already. His training has taken him through Patiala, Bahadurgarh in Haryana and Mumbai, with the past two years spent at Bengaluru’s Centre for Badminton Excellence.

India’s Shaina Manimuthu missed out on the girls’ singles semi-finals after losing 5-15, 8-15 to China’s Yi Qing Yin. Tanvi Reddy Andluri had earlier exited in the pre-quarter-finals against Ip Sum Yau.

Saina Nehwal remains India’s only gold medallist at this competition, having won in 2008. Khangurra’s next match will determine whether he can progress beyond the bronze medal now assured by his last-four place.