Bengaluru: Indian badminton star Satwiksairaj Rankireddy shattered the Guinness World Record for the fastest smash in the sport. Breaking a decade-old record, Satwik smashed the previous record by Malaysia’s Tan Boon Heong (493 kmph) 2013 by 72 Kmph.
Rankireddy’s world record attempts were achieved on April 14, 2023 and were verified now by the official judges from the Guinness World Records based on the speed measurement results from that day.
Meanwhile, the women’s record for the fastest smash has been broken by Tan Pearly of Malaysia with a hit record of 438 Kmph. With this Tan becomes the first female Guinness World Record holder in the category.
Yonex revealed that the moments of impact in the actual smash was captured on high-speed camera. Therefore, the instant velocity of the shuttlecock after the impact was calculated based on photographic recording.
Satwik recently won the Indonesia Open 2023 with his men’s doubles partner Chirag Shetty. He is currently ranked 3rd in the world in men’s doubles with his partner Chirag Shetty. They are the only men’s doubles pair from India to have won a BWF World Tour 1000 event.
Rankireddy was born in Amalapuram, Andhra Pradesh in 2000. He started playing badminton at the age of 10 and joined the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad in 2014. He decided to focus on doubles and quickly rose through the ranks.
In 2017, Rankireddy and Shetty won the bronze medal at the World Junior Championships. They made their senior international debut in 2018 and have since won several medals at major tournaments, including the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the 2019 Sudirman Cup, and the 2022 Asian Championships. In 2020, he received the prestigious Arjuna Award too.