Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand End India’s 15-Year Wait for World Championships Medal

Indian badminton received a major boost at the 2026 BWF World Championships in New Delhi as Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand secured a medal in women’s doubles, ending the country’s 15-year wait for a podium finish in the event.

The unseeded Indian pair produced one of the tournament’s biggest upsets by defeating China’s fourth-ranked combination of Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in the quarterfinals. Their victory guaranteed India at least a bronze medal and marked a significant milestone for Indian women’s doubles badminton. The Indian duo had entered the quarterfinal as underdogs, having previously lost all three of their encounters against the Chinese pair. They were also forced to recover after surrendering the opening game 16-21.

Instead of allowing the early setback to affect their confidence, Treesa and Gayatri changed their strategy in the second game. They strengthened their defence, improved their movement around the net and began putting greater pressure on their opponents. The tactical adjustment helped them take control of the contest as they won the second game 21-15.

The Indians carried that momentum into the deciding game. They established an early advantage and maintained their intensity as the Chinese pair struggled to regain control. Treesa and Gayatri eventually completed the comeback with a convincing 21-13 victory, sealing the match after more than 70 minutes of competition.

The achievement is particularly significant in the history of Indian badminton. Treesa and Gayatri have become only the second Indian women’s doubles pair to win a medal at the World Championships. The previous Indian duo to accomplish the feat was Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa, who won bronze in 2011.

Their run in New Delhi had already shown signs of promise before the quarterfinal. The Indians had earlier defeated Japan’s seventh-seeded pair Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi in straight games to reach the last eight. The victory over the Chinese fourth seeds has now taken the Indian pair into the semifinals, where they face another formidable challenge in the form of China’s world No. 1 combination Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning.