(Reuters) – Indian doubles pair Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy have roped in Denmark’s former Olympic silver medallist Mathias Boe as their new coach in the lead up to this year’s Tokyo Games.
A former world number one in men’s doubles, Boe won silver alongside Carsten Mogensen at the London Olympics in 2012, as well as the All-England Championships in 2011 and 2015. He retired last year.
“Badminton Association of India welcomes Olympic medallist Mathias Boe as coach for the Indian doubles team,” the governing body’s secretary Ajay Singhania said.
“…We believe Boe’s valuable experience and understanding of the game will help our players with the much-needed guidance.”
Rankireddy and Shetty are currently ninth in the Race to Tokyo rankings, with 16 teams set to make the cut for this year’s Olympics, which are due to open on July 23 after being postponed for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Shetty, 23, said Boe’s appointment provides a huge psychological boost.
“He’s aware of the kind of talent that exists in the top 10 and can help us better understand what needs to be done to go ahead,” Shetty told the Olympic Channel.
“Moreover, Boe and Mogenson have a great record in closing out tight matches. He’s someone who bossed his serve and the net game. And that’s an area we need to work on.”
(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
