Teen Badminton Star Riyan Malhan: India’s Loss, UAE’s Gain
Former Indian Shuttler Secures Bronze for UAE at Badminton Asia U-17 & U-15 Junior Championshi
Riyan Malhan’s Historic Win Marks India’s Loss and UAE’s Gain
Jaipur: Ryan Malhan’s spectacular win was unfortunately the story of India’s loss becoming United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) gain.
The former Indian shuttler won a historic under-15 men’s singles bronze medal for the UAE at the Badminton Asia U-17 & U-15 Junior Championship 2024, which concluded in Chengdu, China on Sunday.
Ryan, 14, who represented Delhi and played in all national level badminton tournaments in India until last year, represented the UAE at the Asian Junior Badminton Championship last week and helped his new country win an individual medal.
Ryan became the top seed and went out in the semi-finals against China’s Qian Jia Jing. The Chinese player defeated Ryan to win the gold medal.
An alumnus of Delhi-based Dubai Gem Private School (DGPS), Ryan is considered one of the best players in the world in his age group. Thanks to his extraordinary talent and impressive international rankings, Ryan was crowned the No. 1 player in the U-15 boys singles category.
In the U-15 boys doubles, Ryan and his UAE partner Adam Jeslin lost in the pre-quarterfinals against their Indonesian opponents.
Not long ago, Ryan made waves in India and won a silver medal at the All India Sub-Junior U-13 Ranking Badminton Tournament held in Mumbai in November 2022.
A month later, Ryan represented Delhi and performed well at the BAI U-13 National Championship in Lucknow, reaching the quarterfinals. Ryan was in the top five of the Badminton Association of India (BAI) rankings in 2023.
The Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy also recognized his potential and offered him a scholarship training program. Pullela also trained at Gopichand Badminton Academy.
However, Ryan, who was born in Dubai on May 16, 2010, decided to leave India and wear the UAE colours.
Ryan’s father, Vibul Malhan, a former national-level shuttler, is a senior vice-president at Mashreq Bank in the UAE. Ryan moved to the Gulf last year and is currently training at the Prime Star Academy in the United Arab Emirates.
BAI Joint Secretary Umar Rashid admitted that it was India’s loss as Ryan opted to play for the UAE. “He has performed well in all the tournaments organized by BAI till last season. He is definitely a promising shuttler,” said Rashid.
