Gold Coast Diary

The next Commonwealth Games (2010) came to Delhi, and so did that unforgettable gold. But a nagging Achilles injury made me miss the 2014 Scotland Games. So, the Gold Coast was the Commonwealth Games happening after eight years to me. And in badminton, a power racquet sport, eight years is a long time. But the dream came true as I won the mixed team gold and then the singles crown, beating compatriot P.V. Sindhu in the final.

First the facts of the matter: Currently world number three and the best Indian woman badminton player. That shimmering win at Gold Coast against P.V. Sindhu was a hard-fought battle. The first game was not as tense for me (21-18), but the second one was unforgiving, with the two of us going neck-and-neck with every flick of the wrist. Finally, we ended up tied at 20, then at 21, before I finally prevailed 23-21, a bit of luck coming to the rescue, I have to say. Together, we built something too—our epic 64-stroke rally should make for good badminton trivia.

Go back a few years and the Chinese light up the rankings map in badminton. Indian badminton is on that high these days. The recent flurry at Gold Coast confirms this. Our team is one of the best in the world. We have a singles player among the top 10 in the world, both in the men’s and women’s categories and our doubles players are second to none. The ace men’s pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty is quite young and promising. They have been performing well at national and international levels consistently. In Gold Coast, they were both part of the gold-winning team in the mixed event and managed to bag silver in the men’s doubles.

In the women’s doubles, Ashwini Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy are a great pair. The presence of renowned doubles coach Tan Kim Her of Malaysia has had its effect on the Indian doubles team. Then there’s the man carving out the rough edges, shaping the sport with care, our coach Pullela Gopichand. Indian badminton is making its mark on the youth, offering possibilities beyond previously held beliefs. It has become an inspiring sport.

The big serves, ascending flurries, lightning smashes, witty returns and all that practice. These make injuries part and parcel of this power-packed racquet sport. Needless to say, having a proper rehabilitation system in place is a must. To get the right people for the job, we do some outsourcing, consulting expert physios and trainers to help us overcome the injuries and return to the court. The team has a good bunch of such personnel from South Africa attached with some of the reputed hospitals in Mumbai. I have to thank these behind-the-scenes experts who helped me get over my injuries to get back on court.

(The former world No 1 badminton player is an Olympic bronze medallist and a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist)