As Saina Nehwal the protege of Pullela Gopichand departed early from Rio Olympics, the national badminton coach, might have been a bit sad but that got neutralised when the whole nation witnessed the gritty performance PV Sindhu as she stormed into the finals. Going from strength to strength every year, the Indian badminton contingent has recently had talented players such as Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Parupalli Kashyap, Srikanth Kidambi and many others, and the credit undeniably will go to the Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad led by the Indian team coach, Pullela Gopichand. Gopichand, who was once the best badminton player in India, is now the best Indian coach.
With a crystal clear mantra of determination and hard work, Gopichand carries a gait of a silent guardian. With an underwhelming persona, he can easily be mistaken for an average man; but his sheer mental strength makes him a class act. His determination is evident with the fact that he wakes up at 2 in the night to watch videos of his players to find out kinks in the game, before going to the academy, and reaching before others. He even works out and takes diets like the players, so that he is fit enough to practice with them. He inspires every inch, and it is an honour to be taught by the ‘Guru’ like him.
WATCH: PV Sindhu Beats Nozomi Okuhara, Enters Final
PV Sindhu reached the finals at Rio Olympics, defeating Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara and in the way displaying fantastic abilities and extreme fitness; she filled a billion people in India with pride. But the place which should be given maximum for such achievements by Indians, not just in Olympics but also World Championships, is former badminton star Pullela Gopichand’s academy. The way the academy has been producing world class players, is finally earning dividends; after Saina Nehwal won the bronze in London Olympics now, India finally has a shot at Gold in badminton.
As a player, Gopichand had to cut short his career due to a serious knee injury in 1994. Overcoming 3 operations in 4 years, the 27-year-old surprised everyone as he recovered and in 2001 went on to win the All England Badminton Championships. He defeated reigning world champion, Peter Gade, in straight sets.
Gopichand badminton academy is a training facility in Hyderabad that Gopichand had set up by mortgaging his house reportedly for three crores rupees. His dream to get India a badminton gold, as a player or as a coach, which had eluded him may change this year at Rio. Nevertheless, he has given the country some of the great stars of Indian badminton: Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Srikanth Kidambi, Parupalli Kashyap.
When Sindhu, in the semi-final was making jaws drop, with her jump smashes, back flips and surprising drop shots, it was her coach who kept on cheering her infusing more enthusiasm. And then in the final few minutes how Sindhu won those 11 straight points, can make anyone fall in love with badminton. That is what Gopichand works for.