KUALA LUMPUR: A badminton talent factory in the United Arab Emirates? Riyan Malhan is certainly making a strong case for it.
The 16-year-old, who trained at the Lee Chong Wei Academy in Malaysia, made history by winning the UAE’s first Youth Olympic gold medal in Dakar, Senegal, on Thursday.
The world junior No. 3 beat France’s top-ranked Mady Sow 21-17, 21-18 in 39 minutes to capture the boys’ singles title, putting a country better known for its football and other sports on the badminton map.
Riyan showed nerves of steel, recovering from an 11-7 deficit in the opening game before overturning an 18-16 disadvantage in the second with five consecutive points to seal the title.
He completed his campaign without dropping a game, an impressive achievement that will sting traditional badminton nations, including Malaysia.
The gold came less than two months after Riyan won the Asian Under-17 boys’ singles title in Chengdu, China, where he beat Hong Kong’s Zhan Shing Yui 15-5, 15-9 in the final on Sept 13.
Malaysia’s Lucas Lee had also made a promising start in Dakar, beating Greece’s Ioannis Sarougiannidis and Sweden’s Felus Ding before falling to Riyan 21-15, 21-11 in the battle for Group F’s only quarter-final spot.
Born in the UAE to parents from New Delhi, Riyan first picked up a badminton racket at four after his father, Vipul, who was also one of his coaches in Dakar, took him to a court.
He represented Delhi on India’s junior circuit before opting to compete internationally for the UAE.
In February, he became the first shuttler from the country to reach the top of the world junior rankings.
His development has taken him across several badminton powerhouses, including the Prakash Padukone and Gopichand academies in India, as well as the Lee Chong Wei Academy in Malaysia.
Riyan said training overseas had given him the opportunity to face a variety of opponents and accelerate his development.
“It’s been a great opportunity for me, especially these past two years. I’ve trained under the Lee Chong Wei Academy,” he told Olympics.com.
With a Youth Olympic gold and Asian Under-17 crown already under his belt, Riyan has set his sights on next year’s World Championships and qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.