Tanvi Sharma, the 16-year-old Indian shuttler, secured a silver medal at the BWF World Junior Championships in Guwahati, Assam, marking India's first silver medal in 17 years at the event. Sharma's impressive run ended in the final against Thailand's Anyapat Phichitpreechasak, the world's number one junior badminton player, with a score of 15-7, 15-12. Despite the loss, Sharma's achievement is a significant milestone, making her only the third Indian female shuttler to reach the tournament final. Saina Nehwal remains the only Indian to win gold at the Junior World Championships, having clinched the title in 2008.
Following the match, Sharma expressed gratitude and dedicated her medal to her mother, who taught her how to play badminton, and her coach. She acknowledged feeling "a little disappointed" that she didn't win the gold medal. Sharma recognized that she made too many mistakes during the match and wasn't comfortable. Despite a strong start in the second game, leading 6-1, she couldn't maintain the momentum. Sharma admitted that her opponent read her strokes well, which contributed to the defeat.
The final match saw Phichitpreechasak taking an early lead in the first game, capitalizing on Sharma's errors. Although Sharma displayed resilience in the second game, she struggled with net errors and Phichitpreechasak's deceptive returns. The Thai player's ability to construct points and maintain control with sharp cross-court winners proved decisive.
Sharma's journey to the final included a quarter-final victory against Japan's Saki Matsumoto and a semi-final win against China's Liu Si Ya. Her silver medal adds to India's tally at the Junior World Championships, bringing it to 12 individual medals: one gold, five silver, and six bronze. India also secured a mixed team bronze medal at the championships earlier this month.
Despite the disappointment of not winning gold, Sharma remains inspired by PV Sindhu, a former World champion and twice a silver medalist, and intends to learn from her mistakes. She looks to Sindhu's example of turning silver into gold as motivation to come back stronger. Sharma's performance in Guwahati marks a breakthrough season, including a bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships and a run to the US Open final. She considers this tournament a bonus, as she wasn't expecting a medal due to her form.
