Strain from themselves is what failed Satwik/Chirag, claims ex-coach Mathias Boe

One of the most painful moment for any Indian fan at the Paris Olympics, has to be that of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty losing their quarters match vs Malaysians Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik 21-13, 14-21, 16-21. Not only because the Indian duo missed out on a medal, but also the fact that they were tipped to win a gold for the country.

But as fate would have it, they were ousted in a match prior to the medal round. Not that they played poorly, but it was those two particular games in the quarters, where Chirag made a few errors that he would not normally make. Speaking exclusively to Insidesport from Denmark, their former coach Mathias Boe clarified, that the team was under immense pressure, and failed when it mattered the most.

On being asked, what was the reason for Satwik/Chirag’s failure, he said, “It’s pretty simple. There’s a lot of pressure. There’s a lot of expectations mainly from themselves. They knew they had a good chance, and that is where they faltered. And then, bring in the pressure from the entire population, and that of course makes a lot of difference.”

He coninued, “That’s how it is at the Olympic Games. This pressure is humongous and it can be very, very difficult to handle. And I feel that’s what we saw there with Satwik/Chirag. It was a little bit much in the quarterfinal. They were also a little bit inconsistent throughout.

But it is not to suggest that Satwik/Chirag is a bad team. They are the former World No. 1s and have got it in them to be the best in the world. When they were in full flow in the first game, the Malaysians could hardly move on the court. “The Malaysians couldn’t do much in the first game when these boys were in full flow. Sadly, they were a little bit too inconsistent. And when we played bad and made way too many unnecessary errors.”

(Full interview on 12th August)

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