Following her husband and badminton coach Mathias Boe’s announcement of his retirement from coaching, after the Indian men’s doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty’s exit from the Paris Olympics, supportive wife and actress Taapsee Pannu posted a humorous message.
The Indian badminton duo ‘Sat-Chi’, as they were popularly known, were eliminated from the men’s doubles event after losing to Malaysia’s Aaron Chia and Wooi Yik Soh in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Despite a strong start in the knockout stage, Satwik and Chirag’s aspirations of winning an Olympic medal were dashed as they lost with scores of 21-13, 14-21, and 16-21.
On Saturday, Boe took to Instagram to congratulate Satwiksairaj and Chirag. His post read, “I know the feeling all too well myself. Pushing yourself to the limit everyday, to be in the best shape of your life, and then things does not go as you would have hoped for. I know you guys are gutted, I know how much you wanted to bring a medal back to India, but this time it was not meant to be. But you have everything to be proud of, how hard you have worked in this Olympics camp, battling injuries, even taken injections to reduce the pain, that is dedication, that is passion and that is a lot of Heart. You have won so much over the past years and you are going to win so much more in the future.”
Later in his post, Boe announced that his coaching career in badminton has come to an end after spending “too much time in a badminton hall.”
“For me, my coaching days ends here, I’m not going to continue in India or anywhere else, for now at least. I have spent too much time in a badminton hall and it’s also pretty stressful to be a coach, I’m a tired old man. I want to thank @media.iccsai, Garg Sir and Rakesh Sir, @bai_media, @gosportsvoices for the support over the years. Also a huge shout-out to all my colleagues in Indian Badminton. Thank you for a lot of good memories and I wish you all the best. Jai Hind,” he added. Backing his decision, Taapsee humorously wrote, “But also now u r a married man. U need to take a step back. I need to come back home from work everyday to ready dinner and cleaning in order. So chop chop!”
Under Boe’s coaching, Satwiksairaj and Chirag achieved significant success, including winning gold at the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games, and securing a bronze medal at the World Championships. This year, the renowned men’s doubles pair clinched two Badminton World Federation (BWF) Tour titles: the French Open in March 2024 and the Thailand Open in May 2024. They also reached the finals at the Malaysian Open and the India Open. Additionally, they were part of the Indian team in the Thomas Cup 2024, where they were unable to defend their title, losing 3-1 to China, the eventual champions, in the quarterfinals.
With a top ranking in men’s doubles, numerous BWF Tour titles, a bronze medal in men’s doubles at the 2022 World Championships, gold in men’s doubles at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, as well as silver medals in mixed team events at these competitions, Satwiksairaj and Chirag boasted an impressive array of medals and achievements. Despite their strong record and status as leading medal contenders, they were unable to secure a victory this time.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Taapsee is set to captivate audiences with her upcoming projects, Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba and Khel Khel Mein.
