Sportstar Aces 2024, Popular Choice Awards: Satwik-Chirag nominated for ‘Sportstar of the Year (Male)‘ award

India’s rising profile in badminton was reaffirmed when Satwik and Chirag rose to number 1 in the BWF Men’s Doubles Rankings in 2023.

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty pose after winning the men’s doubles gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. | Photo Credit: PTI

Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty were nominated for the ‘Popular Choice — Sportstar of the Year (Male)‘ award for the upcoming Sportstar ACES Awards 2024.

ACES Awards 2024 | Voting lines now open for Sportstar ACES Awards

Satwik and Chirag won India’s first-ever badminton gold at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. In April, the duo became the first Indian doubles pair to win a gold medal at the Badminton Asia Championship, the country’s first gold medal at the tournament in 58 years.

The duo also won the 2023 Swiss Open, beating the Chinese pair of Ren Xiangyu and Tan Qiang in the final. Later in the year, the pair rose to number 1 in the BWF Men’s Doubles Rankings.

IN 2023

• Won India its first-ever badminton gold medal at the Asian Games with a straight-game win over South Korea’s Choi Solgyu and Kim Wonho; picked silver in men’s team event
• Won their first title as a pair in the 2023 Swiss Open, beating the Chinese pair of Ren Xiangyu and Tan Qiang in the final
• Crowned Asian Champion after winning the 2023 Badminton Asia Championships held in Dubai
• Became World No. 1 in the men’s doubles category
• Became the first men’s doubles pair from India to win the 2023 Indonesia Open, a BWF World Super 1000 event by defeating Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the final
• Won 2023 Korea Open, defeating Indonesian Pair Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardiant

About ACES Awards 2024

There are 21 categories of awards this year – five Popular Choice and 16 Jury awards.

The five Popular Choice awards are ‘Sportstar of the Year (Male)‘, ‘Sportstar of the Year (Female)‘, ‘National Team of the Year’, ‘Club/State Team of the Year’, and ‘Moment of the Year’.

The Jury Awards are Sportsman of the Year (Individual Sports, Track and Field, Team Sports, Parasports), Sportswoman of the Year (Individual Sports, Team Sports, Track and Field, Parasports), Coach of the Year, Best State for Promotion of Sports, Best Corporate for Promotion of Sports, Best PSU for Promotion of Sports, Best College/University for Promotion of Sports, Lifetime Achievement Award, Young Achiever of the Year (Boy), Young Achiever of the Year (Girl)

There will also be a separate Chairperson’s Award for Sports for Social Good, which will honour individuals or organisations that have used the power of sports to make our world a better place