India’s Jagsher Singh Khangurra won the bronze medal in the boys’ singles event at the BWF World Junior Championships 2026 in Cairo, Egypt, on Friday.
Jagsher Singh Khangurra lost 15-6, 13-15, 15-3 against Indonesia’s 31st seed Radithya Bayu Wardhana in his semi-final match, which lasted 49 minutes, to settle for the bronze.
The 17-year-old is the ninth Indian badminton player to win a medal in the boys’ singles event at the junior meet. Ayush Shetty, who also won bronze in 2023, was the last Indian to make the boys’ singles podium.
Khangurra’s medal also took India’s overall tally in the individual competition at the World Junior Championships to 13 – one gold, five silver and seven bronze.
Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal, who clinched the girls’ singles crown in 2008, remains the only Indian to be crowned a junior world champion in badminton.
India have now won an individual medal at the Junior World Championships for a second successive edition after Tanvi Sharma claimed the girls’ singles silver in Guwahati last year.
Khangurra had to come from behind in the quarter-finals against Chinese Taipei’s Yuan-Syue Jhuang to guarantee himself a medal.
After losing the opening game, the Indian saved a match point in the second before completing a 6-15, 17-15, 15-12 victory in 48 minutes.
The Indian shuttler had beaten Malaysia’s Chong Lee Qian in the round of 16 after surviving a three-game battle – 15-11, 10-15, 17-15 – against Paramat Pumleng of Thailand. He had eased past Mohamed Rayane Bouffeniche of Algeria and Pranav Bhaugeerothee of Mauritius in the earlier rounds.
Shaina Manimuthu was the only Indian badminton player to make the quarter-finals in the girls’ singles.
Asian U-17 champion Tanvi Patri and Tanvi Reddy Andluri reached the round of 16 in girls’ singles, while Dev Ruparelia and Nishchal Chand made it as far in boys’ singles.
In boys’ doubles, India’s Yogansh Singh and Aathish Sreenivas PV reached the round of 16, while Aanya Bisht and Angel Punera also made the same stage in girls’ doubles. India did not progress beyond the second round in mixed doubles.
