Carry the momentum: Vimal says Lakshya has to find consistency and win some big tournaments.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO
After the medalless Paris Olympics, Indian badminton has been caught on the wrong foot, with top players struggling with poor form and injuries and the second crop failing to live up to the expectations.
Former National coach and Dhronacharya awardee U. Vimal Kumar is a little worried that the youngsters are not making use of their opportunities.
“Arun George and Sathish Karunakaran showed immense potential but they have not made the big leap into the top 30s, so that they can play in the super series events regularly. They come out with good wins but the consistency is missing. They have to make it big in the next year, otherwise it will be difficult for them as a lot of promising players are coming up from other countries.
“At their age they should be winning tournaments by now. Ayush Shetty has come up with some good wins and has entered the top 40, which is a healthy sign. He can be a big star considering he is only 19. Tharun Mannepalli is another player who holds promise,’‘ said the coach who was in Thiruvananthapuram on a private visit.
”Lakshya Sen is still among the top 20. But he has to find consistency and win some big tournaments, the super 1000 and super 750 events. He is going to be our mainstay in the coming years,’‘ he added.
“As far as women are concerned, we have really good young players coming up the ranks, and somebody will make a breakthrough so I am not that worried. Malvika Bansod is a good player. But our women shuttlers are unable to find a finishing stroke. They need the sharpness to finish a rally and need to work on that aspect,’‘ he added.
Not a business
On the success of Prakash Padukone Badminton academy, Vimal added: “It was not only about the dedication and passion we had, coaching was never a business for us. We never charged any fees from our trainees. We covered the expenses through sponsorship and we could demand and push the players to train hard.”
Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar during the Paris Olympic 2024.
| Photo Credit:
FILE PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR
On the BAI academy in Guwahati, he opined: “It is good that BAI has started an academy in Guwahati, but we need more such academies and they should be strategically located so that players from different parts of the country can come and train without any hassles. I hope BAI will soon start more coaching centres in other parts of the country.”
Monetary factor
Vimal said that he likes the idea of players becoming coaches. “I am always in favour of players becoming coaches at the end of their careers. But coaching is a professional job which requires dedication. If someone is sacrificing something, maybe their job, they should be monetarily compensated.”
Vimal added that the badminton has not been doing well in Kerala. “Things are not that rosy as not many good players are coming out from the State. The Kerala Badminton Association (KBA) should identify some 30 odd talented players and give them year-round training at a centre. The KBA should ensure that there are enough coaches to train these youngsters”.
Published – March 14, 2025 06:22 pm IST
