London 2012 Olympics silver medallist Mathias Boe is likely to train the top Indian doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy ahead of this year’s Tokyo Olympics.
According to sources, Denmark’s Boe is interested to guide the world No. 10 pair of Chirag and Satwiksairaj. The Indian duo is also keen to train under the experienced doubles star. The talks with the Badminton Association of India (BAI) are in the initial stages and if everything goes well in the next few weeks, Chirag and Satwik can get the much needed boost to their 2021 Tokyo Olympics preparations. Indian duo is regarded as one of the medal contenders in the men’s doubles in Tokyo.
Sources said Boe is most likely to be appointed as one of the Indian badminton team’s doubles coaches and will train mostly Chirag and Satwiksairaj, who had reached the career-best world ranking of 7 in 2019. Boe will be with the Indian duo till Tokyo Olympics, said BAI sources.
The former world No. 1 duo of Boe and his Dane partner Carsten Mogensen ruled the world badminton between 2010 and 2016 and dominated the men’s doubles competition for nearly six years.
Boe was the gold medallist at the 2015 European Games, two-time European champions winning in 2012 and 2017, and the silver medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was also part of the triumphant Denmark team at the 2016 Thomas Cup in Kunshan, China.
The 40-year-old Boe retired from international badminton in 2019 at the age of 39. The six-foot-one-inch tall left-hander has been connected with India for the last 5-6 years. Bollywood’s top actress Taapsee Pannu is reported to be dating Boe.
The tall Dane often visits Mumbai to meet his girlfriend Taapsee and regularly plays at the Goregaon Sports Club. Just a couple of months ago, Boe trained with Chirag Shetty and other players at the Goregaon Sports Club, where former Indian badminton player Uday Pawar runs a professional academy.
Recipients of Arjuna Award this year, Chirag and Satwik are presently training with the Indian team in the national camp at Hyderabad and will leave for Bangkok to participate in the Thailand Open Badminton tournament on Sunday.
