Ambedkar Konaseema district in Andhra Pradesh was plunged in grief following the death of international badminton star Satwiksairaj's father Rankireddy Kasi Viswanadham.
Rankireddy died of cardiac arrest on Thursday. He was 67.
Rankireddy was about to fly to Delhi to attend the ceremony where his son was set to receive the prestigious Khel Ratna award when the tragedy struck.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
"The unfortunate incident occurred while Viswanatham was travelling by car from Amalapuram to Rajahmundry airport. He was accompanied by his wife Rangamani and a family friend at the time," a report said.
Satwik, who was in Delhi participating in the 43rd PSPB Inter-Unit badminton tournament, immediately arranged an afternoon flight to return to Andhra Pradesh to join his family.
The cremation is scheduled for Saturday.
Satwik, who forms a formidable men’s doubles pair with Chirag Shetty, has been a trailblazer in Indian badminton. The duo, which won gold at the 2022 Asian Games, the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and the 2023 Asian Championships, is the only Indian doubles pair to hold the No. 1 spot in the BWF World Rankings and win a BWF World Tour Super 1000 title, news agency PTI reported.
In 2023, Satwik also set a Guinness World Record for the fastest badminton smash by a male player, reaching a speed of 565 km/h. He had shared a heartwarming video on social media featuring his father unwrapping his Guinness World Record certificate, the report added.