Anmol Kharb is already making her mark on the Indian badminton scene. She became the women’s singles national badminton champion at the age of 16, and a year later, she was the driving force behind India’s women’s team winning a historic gold medal at the 2024 Badminton Asia Team Championship in Malaysia. Anmol stands out for her mental tenacity, in addition to her technical skills and ability to perform at the highest level.
The young shuttler lost to Chinese qualifier Cai Yan Yan after taking the lead in the women’s singles summit clash. Cai defeated the 17-year-old Kharb 14-21, 21-13, 21-19 in an hour and 18 minutes. She is now ranked just inside the world’s top 100. She went down to the World Number 342 14-21, 21-13, 21-19. Now, this is disappointing for the Indian shuttler who had a golden opportunity to make it to the top.
In Malaysia, the teenager proved to be India’s salvation three times, defeating higher-ranked and more experienced opponents in deciders, including the final. Anmol stepped up a notch in 2020, winning the under-17 national titles in both singles and doubles, teaming up with Vennala K. The Indian badminton player has also performed well in international age-group tournaments, making the pre-quarterfinals of the Asian Junior Championships in 2022.
Anmol Kharb: A Star on the Rise
Anmol quickly became India’s number one in both the under-17 and 19 age groups. Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto were the top-seeded players in the Women’s doubles division, and they did not disappoint. In reality, they defended their title against China’s Li Hua Zhou and Wang Zi Meng. The Indian pair triumphed convincingly to secure a fantastic victory, 21-18, 21-12.
Indian Badminton has been struggling with form. They have failed in many tournaments and have had a few podium finishes. After these horrific performances, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) intends to gradually shift away from the culture of private coaching. They will shift towards group training sessions led by national coaches. However, there has been a small period of success in a couple of months.
