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Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty Lose In First Round Of Japan Masters

Asian Games gold medallists Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty faltered in the opening round to make a shocking exit from the Japan Masters Super 500 badminton tournament on Tuesday. The top-seeded Indian combination went down 21-16 18-21 16-21 to world number 21 Lu Ching Yao and Yang Po Han of Chinese Taipei in a 63-minute match. Satwik and Chirag, ranked world number 5, had defeated Lu and Yang at the French Open final last year but they couldn't get on top of the Taiwanese pair, who dished out a spirited performance to outwit the Indians. The Indians erased an initial 0-3 deficit to grab a 11-7 lead. Lu and Yang clawed back at 13-13 but Satwik and Chirag managed to keep their nose ahead before taking the opening game with four straight points.

Neeraj Chopra In Final List For Men's World Athlete Of The Year Award

Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was on Tuesday shortlisted for men's 'World Athlete of the Year' award. The 25-year-old Indian was one of the five athletes shortlisted for the prestigious honour. "The five athletes, who represent four countries from four area associations, have achieved sensational performances across a range of athletics disciplines in 2023, winning titles and breaking world records at the World Athletics Championships 2023, one-day meeting circuits, Label road races and other events around the world," World Athletics said in a release.