Prakash Padukone

Prakash Padukone is a renowned badminton player of Indian origin who has created the record of being the National Champion from the year 1970 to 1978. Prakash Padukone was born in Bangalore city in the year 1955. Having a keen interest in badminton, Prakash Padukone used to watch the tournaments played by famous players with great curiosity. This very interest and his personal zeal made him the National Junior Champion at the tender age of 14.

In the year 1971, Prakash Padukone won both the boy's and men's singles tournament. Achieving the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in the year 1978 was a big boost to his career. The triumph in the All England Badminton Championship is the next big leap in the career of Prakash Padukone which took place in the year 1980.

Prakash Padukone went to Denmark in the year 1982 in order to have an improved array of training opportunities. The Badminton Academy established by Prakash Padukone in 1994 in the city of Bangalore is currently one of the best institutions in India.

Some of the major achievements of Prakash Padukone in the field of badminton are listed below:

Receiver of Padmashree award in the year 1982

National senior champion from 1971 to 1979

Winner of First Open Prize money tournament in Pune in the year of 1981

Receiver of Arjuna Award in 1972

Winner of Dutch Open in 1982

English Masters at royal Albert Hall of London in the year 1979

Gold medalist at commonwealth Games of 1978

Winner of hong Kong Open in the year 1982

Trained the team that bagged the silver medal in the Men's Event & bronze medal in the Women's Event, Commonwealth Games of 1998

Bagged bronze medal in the 1983 Copenhagen World championships

Today, the name of Prakash Padukone has become synonymous to the badminton maestros of India.

Some Other Badminton Stars

Standing from Left : Siddarth Jain, Anup S., Ajit Wijetilek, Thomas Kurian,GopiChand,Aparna Popat, Meenakshi
Seated from Left : Abhishek Bakshi, Kumar Dev Rajamanya, Nikhil Kanetkar

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01.

Name : P.Gopi Chand, Date of Birth: 16/11/1973, Sex : Male, Height : 6 ft,
Weight : 71.4 Kg, Status : Trainee PPBA, Employer : Indian Oil Corporation,
Badminton : Singles-Righthanded, Category : Seniors.

Important Achievements during 1996 :

• Gold Medalist SAARC Championships.

Important Achievements during 1997 :

• National Champion, Ranked No.1 in India, Runner up in Indian Open, Gold Medalist SAARC - Championships, Pre. Qtr. finalist - All England Open, Qtr. Finalist - Polish Open, Runner up in Group at World Cup, Pre. Qtr finalist- Danish Open, Runner-up SAS trophy in Austria, Winner German Ranking.

Important Achievements during 1998 :

• National Champion, Ranked No.1 in India, Pre. Qtr. Finalist in All England Championships, Achieved a Career Best Ranking No.30 in the World in March 1998. Member of the Indian Team Which won the Silver in CommonWealth Games 1998.

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02.

Name : Aparna Lalji Popat.
Date of Birth : 18/01/1978.
Sex : Female
Height : 5' 4".
Weight : 53Kgs.
Status : Trainee PPBA.
Employer : Indian Oil Corporation.
Badminton : Singles- Right Handed.
Category : Seniors.

Important Achievements during 1996 :

• Runner-up in the World Junior Championships at Denmark.
• Winner of Girl's Singles in the Junior Nationals.

Important Achievements during 1997 : Quarter finalist in Malaysian Open.
Important Achievements during 1998 :

• Winner of Women's Singles at Senior Nationals. Winner -Asian Satellite Championship at Colombo Winner of Women's Singles in French Open, Paris. Achieved a Best World Ranking of 28 by any Indian Women during recent times. Remained unbeaten in Thomas Cup Qualifying Rounds held in Manila Feb. 1998. Member of Indian Team Which won the Bronze Medal in CommonWealth Games 1998 & Silver Medalist in Individual Singles.

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03.

Name : Nikhil Kanetkar,
Date of Birth : 13/05/1979
Sex : Male
Height : 5' 9",
Weight : 58 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA,
Employer : Indian Oil Corporation,
Badminton : Singles- Left Handed,
Category : Seniors.

Important Achievements of Nikhil :

• RunnerUp in Indian Grand Prix Tournaments held in Kochi & Delhi '97.
• Winner of Asian Satellite Tournament at Colombo during Jan 1998.
• Winner of Indian Grand Prix Tournament held in Mumbai during June 1998.
• Semi finalist in Asian Satellite Tournament held in Chennai during July 1998.
• Member of the Indian Team which won the Silver in CommonWealth Games 1998.

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04.

Name : Ajit Wije Tilek,
Date of Birth : 03/06/1976,
Sex : Male,
Height : 6' 1" ,
Weight : 68 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA & Student University Law College,
Badminton : Singles & Doubles- Right handed,
Category : Seniors.

Important Achievements of Ajit :

• Junior Nationals Singles Runner up in 1993
• Junior Nationals Doubles Winner in 1991,1992 & 1993.
• Winner of Men's Singles & Doubles in Seshasayee All India Open Tmt. during 1998.
• Runner-up in Indian Grand Prix Tournament held at Hyderabad during 1998.
• Represented India in the Asian Satellite Tournament held at Madras during 1998.
• Member of the Indian team for Asian Badminton Confederation Championships 1998.

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05.
Name : Siddarth Jain,
Date of Birth : 26/11/1976 ,
Sex : Male,
Height : 5' 11",
Weight : 68 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA,
Employer : Oil & Natural Gas Corporation,
Badminton : Singles - Right handed,
Category : Seniors.

Important Achievements of Siddarth :

• Under 18 National Champion during 1994
• Reached Semi-finals in Senior Nationals during 1995.
• Represented India in --Indian Grand Prix.
• Member of the Indian Team for King Asia Cup during 1996

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06.

Name : Dipankar Bhattacharjee,
Date of Birth : 01/02/1970,
Sex : Male, Height : ,
Weight : 78 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA,
Employer : Indian Oil Corporation,
Badminton : Singles - Right handed,
Category : Seniors .

Important Achievements of Dipankar :

• Awaited

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07.

Name : Vijay Lancy,
Date of Birth : 23/05/1975,
Sex : Male,
Height : 6' 2",
Weight : 75 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA,
Employee : Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd.,
Badminton : Singles - Right handed,
Category : Seniors.

Important Achievements of Vijay Lancy :

• Gold Medalist in the 4th National Games held at Bangalore in 1997.
• Recipient of Shiv Chakrapathi Award in 1998.
• Member of the Indian Team which won Gold at SAARC Championships held at Vijaywada.
• Under-22 National Champion & winner of V.V.Natu Memorial All India Senior Tournament.
• Junior National Champion in 1992.
• Represented India for the Thomas Cup at Prague & the World Junior Championships held in Jakarta.

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08.

Name : Thomas Kurian,
Date of Birth : 10/09/1979,
Sex : Male, Height : 5' 9",
Weight : 64 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA,
Employer : Railways,
Badminton : Singles - Right handed,
Category : Juniors & Seniors .

Important Achievements of Thomas Kurian :

• National Champion in Junior Boys Singles during 1998
• India No.3 in Junior Nationals during 1997

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09.
Name : B.R.Meenakshi,
Date of Birth : 20/09/1979 ,
Sex : Female,
Height : ,
Weight : 53 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA,
Employer : Railways,
Badminton : Singles & Doubles - Right handed,
Category : Juniors & Seniors.

Important Achievements of Meenakshi :

• National Champion in Junior Girls Singles during 1998

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10.
Name : Abhishek Bakshi,
Date of Birth :12/07/1981,
Sex : Male,
Height : 6 ' 1",
Weight : 67 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA & Student MES College,
Badminton : Singles & Doubles - Right handed,
Category : Juniors.

Important Achievements of Abhishek Bakshi :

• Runner Up in Under-13yrs -Nationals during 1993 .
• Runner Up in Under 16yrs -Krishna Khaitan Tournament at Chennai during 1997.
• Winner in the Nationals Under 16yrs at Guwahati during 1997.
• Runner Up in Under-16yrs BPL Junior masters at Calicut during 1997.

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11.
Name : Kumardev Rajamanya,
Date of Birth : 25/05/1982,
Sex : Male,
Height : 5' 7",
Weight : 57 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA & Student MES College,
Badminton : Singles & Doubles - Right handed,
Category : Juniors.

Important Achievements of Kumardev Rajamanya :

• Awaited

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12.
Name : Pooja Patil,
Date of Birth : 16/09/1982 ,
Sex : Female,
Height : 5',
Weight : 47 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA & Student Mount Carmel College Bangalore,
Badminton : Singles & Doubles- Right handed,
Category : Juniors.

Important Achievements of Pooja Patil :

• Runner up - Under 16yrs in Singles & Doubles in the Kwality Biscuits All India Open Badminton tournament during 1998.
• Winner of National Games Team Championships & Gold medal winner in Doubles & Silver medalist in Singles.
• Winner of State Ranking Tournaments in Dharwad,Mandya etc.
• Winner of BPL Junior Masters All India Prize Money Tournament during 1997.
• Runner up in Doubles event in the Nationals held at Guwahati during 1997.
• Won Swab Award for Junior Section in 1995.
• Winner of Mini Nationals Under 12 yrs during 1994.

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13.
Name : Anup Sridhar,
Date of Birth : 11/04/1983,
Sex : Male,
Height : 5' 10",
Weight : 58 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA & Student St.Josephs Boys High School,
Badminton : Singles&Doubles- Right handed,
Category : Juniors

Important Achievements of Anup Sridhar at All India Level :

• Runner-up -Under 13yrs in the Krishna Khaitan Tournament at Chennai during 1994.
• Winner -Under 13yrs in the Krishna Khaitan Tournament at Chennai during 1995.
• Winner -Under 16yrs in the Krishna Khaitan Tournament at Chennai during 1998.
• Winner -Under 16yrs in the Kwality Biscuits Tournament at Bangalore during 1998.

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14.
Name : Rohan Castelino,
Date of Birth : 23/12/1984,
Sex : Male,
Height : 5' 2" ,
Weight : 41 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA & Student St.Josephs Indian High School,
Badminton : Singles & Doubles- Right handed,
Category : Sub Juniors.

Important Achievements of Rohan Castelino :

• Winner -Under 15yrs in the Karnataka State Championships during 1997.
• Runnerup -Under 15yrs in the Krishna Khaitan All India Tmt. at Chennai during 1997.
• Runnerup - Under 15yrs in the All India Open Tournament held at Pune during 1997.

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15.
Name : B.N.Ashwini, Date of Birth : 16/12/1983, Sex : Female, Height : 5' 6" ,
Weight : 55 Kgs, Status : Trainee PPBA & Student Himamshu Jyothi Vidya Kala Peetha, Badminton : Singles & Doubles- Right handed, Category : Sub Juniors

Important Achievements of B.N.Ashwini :

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16.
Name : Utsav.K.Prakash,
Date of Birth : 03/08/1984,
Sex : Male,
Height : 5' 7" ,
Weight : 48 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA & Student Sri Kumaran Childrens Education Soc.,
Badminton : Singles & Doubles- Right handed,
Category : Sub Juniors .

Important Achievements of Utsav Prakash :

• Reached Quarter Finals in Krishna Khaitan All India Tournament during 1997.
• Runner up Owens Corning Karnataka State Championships during 1997.
• Reached Quarter final at All India Junior Tournament during 1997.

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17.
Name : Aditi Biswas,
Date of Birth : 11/04/1983,
Sex : Female,
Height : ,
Weight : 58 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA & Student St.Josephs Boys High School,
Badminton : Singles & Doubles- Right handed,
Category : Sub Juniors.

Important Achievements of Aditi Biswas :

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18.
Name : Astik Biswas, Date of Birth : 11/04/1983, Sex : Male, Height : ,
Weight : 58 Kgs, Status : Trainee PPBA & Student St.Josephs Boys High School,
Badminton : Singles & Doubles- Right handed, Category : Sub Juniors .

Important Achievements of Astik Biswas :

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19.
Name : Varun Rao,
Date of Birth : 25/07/1984,
Sex : Male,
Height : 4' ,
Weight : 31 Kgs,
Status : Trainee PPBA & Student Frank Anthony Public School,
Badminton : Singles & Doubles- Right handed,
Category : Sub Juniors.

Important Achievements of Varun Rao:

• Runner up-Under 13yrs in the Doubles Kwality Biscuits All India Open Tournament during 1998.
• Reached the Semi-final of the Smt.Krishna Khaitan Memorial All India Junior Badminton Tournament during July 1998.
• Winner of Under 13yrs State Ranking Tournaments held at Dharwad, Suresh Kumar Memorial Tmt '98, Anand Ashram Badminton Tournament, & Mico Club etc

Dipankar Bhattacharya

Dipankar Bhattacharjee is one of the most outstanding Indian badmintion players. He was born and brought up in Guwahati, Assam.
At an early age of two, Dipankar started playing badminton. He is the first men's badminton player to represent India at the Olympics. He has represented India twice at Olympics: Barcelona Olympics (1992) and Atlanta Olympics (1996).
He has won the Indian National Badminton Championship thrice and was runner-up on two occasions. He was placed 8th at the Barcelona Olympics, in the world Olympics rankings.

Dipankar Bhattacharya was trained in some of the leading Badminton academies of India like Prakash Padukone's Badminton Academy at Bangalore.

He is known for his fast pace, stamina and offensive style. He received praise from noted badminton players like Prakash Padukone.

Achievements of Dipankar Bhattacharya:

• Sub-junior National runner-up(Guwahati,1980)
• Junior National Champion (Madras, in 1987 )
• Senior National Champion (Thrice)
• Senior National runner-up (Twice)
• Represented India twice in Olympics(Barcelona and Atlanta)
• Nominated for Arjuna Award (Twice)

Dipankar Bhattacharya has set up a school of badminton in Guwahati (Assam) known as Iswarati Center for Badminton Learning (ICBL).The main aim of this institute is to train the talented youths of the North-eastern States of India to make them future champions.

Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal was born on March 17, 1990 in Hyderabad city of India. Saina started her badminton training under the apt guidance of S M Arif, who was a Dronacharya Awardee. The Gopi Chand Academy of Hyderabad is the very place where Saina Nehwal is presently training. The Gopi Chand Academy at present is making plans to train Saina Nehwal in a more improved way by sending her to Holland and Denmark.

Being born to such parents as Harvir Singh, who is a scientist at Directorate of Oilseeds Research, and Usha Rani, who is a former Haryana state champion, Saina Nehwal has always received the support of her family members.

From her initial years in the courts, Saina Nehwal had been considered as full of potential. Being a National Junior champion, Saina Nehwal has performed well in all the tournaments in which she has participated. Not only national but also in international tournaments Saina Nehwal has made a mark of her own.

The Junior Czech Open, which took place in the year 2003, was a major break in the career of Saina Nehwal as she went on to win the tournament. Saina Nehwal also gave her best in the Commonwealth Games of 2004 but could not win a medal. Saina Nehwal also took part in the Junior Asian Championship of 2004.

Today, Saina Nehwal, with all her determination, conviction and willpower, is all set to make a triumphant mark in the world badminton championships.

Pulella Gopichand

Pulella Gopichand, born in the year 1973, is considered as one of the finest badminton players India has ever seen. Gopichand started his career in the year 1989 when he became the National Badminton Champion in a tournament in Goa. After this win, Pulella Gopichand never had to look back.

In the year 1997 Pulella Gopichand made his mark as one of the world class badminton players. He made it to the finals of the Indian Open, which was organized in Delhi. The 1998 Commonwealth Games proved to be another turning point in the career of Pulella Gopichand. In the Commonwealth Games that took place in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 he performed extremely well and in this very event India won four medals in a row. In the following years Pulella Gopichand went to Europe. During his long tenure in Europe, Pulella Gopichand participated in some major tournaments such as the German League.

Winning the All England Open Badminton Championship of 2001 was probably the most remarkable achievement of Pulella Gopichand. Chen Hong of Chinese origin was Pulella Gopichand's competitor in this international tournament.

Having an eventful career, Pulella Gopichand has truly emerged as a master player in the Indian badminton arena. In fact Pulella Gopichand is considered as the successor of Prakash Padukone, who was the first Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Championship.

The courage and perseverance with which Pulella Gopichand performed in both the national and international badminton courts is truly worth mentioning and is a medium of inspiration for hundreds of enthusiasts.

Chetan Anand

Chetan Anand is a renowned badminton player of India who took birth in the year 1980. One of the greatest achievements of Chetan Anand is the Arjuna Award which he received in the year 2006 for his outstanding performance. Chetan Anand started his glorious career from a very early age. However, it was only in the year 2004 that Chetan Anand came into the forefront of international badminton championships.

From national to international level, Chetan Anand proved his efficiency and talent many times. Chetan Anand participated in the 2004 Le Volant d' Or which was organized in Toulouse of France. A magnificent win in this tournament provided him with an international recognition.

The Irish International tournament of 2005 was another prime achievement of Chetan Anand. Being the winner of the Irish International, Chetan Anand once again proved his mettle in the badminton courts. The Welsh International was yet another major turning point in the career of Chetan Anand which took place in the same year of 2005.

In the year 2007 Chetan Anand participated in the National Badminton Championships conducted in Patna, India. By beating his competitor Anand Pawar who was representing Air India, Chetan Anand truly established his credentials in the badminton arena of India.

At present, Chetan Anand is looked upon as one of the potential badminton players of Indian origin who has the zeal and courage to make it to the top in the international domain.

Aparna Popat

Aparna Popat, who was born in the year 1978 in the month of January in Mumbai, had been ranked 16th among the world badminton players in 1999. Although Aparna Popat was born in Mumbai she shifted to Bangalore, which boasts of better training facilities.



The Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy is the place where Aparna Popat got her training. Before joining this Academy in the year 1994, Aparna Popat was training under Anil Pradhan who was a National Doubles Champion.


Aparna Popat was the winner of the 1998 French Open. Also, in the same year Aparna Popat bagged a silver medal for her outstanding performance in the Commonwealth Games held at Kuala Lumpur. One of the major achievements of Aparna Popat is that she had been the unprecedented champion of National Women's Singles title for eight consecutive years.

Although Aparna Popat faced many upheavals in her career yet she is determined to make it to the top of international line of players. The conviction and enthusiasm of Aparna Popat has made her one of the excellent women shuttlers of India who as the aim of reaching to the best of international badminton league.

Anup Sridhar

Anup Sridhar, the 23 years old National Badminton Champion, made a triumphant mark in the year 2005 in the 30th Hungarian International. Winning this prestigious international tournament, Anup Sridhar attracted the attention of many a famous badminton personalities.

Anup Sridhar reached the quarter final of BWF World Championships in the year 2007 where he played against Lin Dan - one of the top seeds. Being a National Champion for two times, Anup Sridhar has become one of the most popular badminton players of India.





Having a lot of potential and determination, Anup Sridhar is counted as one of the most talented players of the country. Although Anup Sridhar was determined to participate in the All England Open Championships but owing to fitness problem he could not take part in the same.

Anup Sridhar dedicates his achievements to U Vimal Kumar and Prakash Padukone. According to him all his talent and capabilities have been finely shaped up in the Prakash Padukone Academy where he had been trained.

With a long way to go, Anup Sridhar is regarded by the badminton proponents of India as a storehouse of potential. It is said that at such an early age only a few of the badminton players have made it to the international arena. Realizing his immense potential many sponsors are coming forward to sponsor him at national and international-level tournaments.