Tamil Nadu badminton hopes for a better future

While displacing Andhra Pradesh or Telangana in the country might be difficult, Tamil Nadu’s performance in the recently concluded south-zone inter-state badminton championship at Ottapalam in Kerala has raised hopes of the sport becoming popular in the state. The championship had six states participating.

The Tamil Nadu contingent of 16 players (eight juniors and eight seniors) won the junior boys doubles category while the junior girls and senior men finished runners-up. With the likes of Arun Kumar, Kevin Walter, Thanushree, Varshini and Vembarasan in the ranks, Tamil Nadu’s hopes of a decent finish came true. 

While Kevin and Srivatsan beat Telangana in the doubles final, Thanushree and Shamita Devi went down fighting to Kerala in the girls’ final. Vembarasan and Lokesh too finished second to the hosts in the senior doubles event.

Tamil Nadu coach M. Prakash said the sport has grown by leaps and bounds in the last couple of years. “Finishing the tournament with good results gives us confidence that we can make a mark in the national circuit in the future. The advent of private academies and coaches have contributed to the development of the sport. We need to keep improving through regular introspection and I am confident that we are moving in the right direction,” Prakash said. Prakash said an academy from the government would add a lot of sheen and help budding players come up the ranks. “It would help raw talent from the districts to come up,” he added. 

National coach M. Maran, who assists Pullela Gopichand in the national camps, was elated to see the state’s performance. “The improvement is visible. Two to three years back, we were never in the qualifying list and now we have reached a stage where we are giving tough competition to our neighbouring states. We are taking one step at a time and it is only a matter of time before TN can come good with credible performances,” he added.