- Pullela Gopichand
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Pullela Gopichand Personal information Born November 16, 1973
Nagandla of Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh, IndiaHeight 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Country 
IndiaHandedness Right Mens's Singles Highest Ranking 5[1] (15 March 2001) BWF Profile Pullela Gopichand (Telugu: పుల్లెల గోపీచంద్) (born on November 16, 1973 in Nagandla of Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh) is an Indian Badminton player.
He won the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001 defeating Chen Hong of China in the finals by 15-12,15-6.[2] He became the second Indian to achieve this feat after Prakash Padukone, who won it in 1980.[3][4] He was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award for the year 2001.[5] But later on, his game was affected due to injuries and his ranking dropped to 126 in the year 2003. In 2005, he was awarded the Padma Shri.[6]
Now, he runs the Gopichand Badminton Academy.[4] He is now a very renowned coach who received the Dronacharya Award and is the main force behind the emergence of Saina Nehwal.[7][8]
Contents
Early life
Pullela Gopichand was born on November 16, 1973 to Pullela Shubhash Chandra and Subbaravamma.[9] Initially Gopichand was more interested in playing Cricket, but later his elder brother Rajashekar initiated him to take up the game of Badminton instead.[9] He studied at the St. Paul’s School, and even when he was only 10, his prowess in the game of Badminton had become an issue to be discussed in the School. Gopichand suffered a ligament rupture in the year 1986 when he was 13. He had won the Singles and the Doubles title at the Inter School Competition the same year. Undeterred by the injury, he bounced back soon and reached the Final round of the Andhra Pradesh State Junior Badminton Championship, only to lose the title to his own elder brother. By the year 1988, when he finished his schooling, Gopichand had made a mark for himself in the Badminton circuit. He joined A. V. College, Hyderabad and graduated in Public Administration. He was the Captain of the Indian Combined Universities Badminton team in the years 1990 and 1991.
Gopi received his initial coaching from S. M. Arif before Prakash Padukone accepted him in the BPL Prakash Padukone Academy. Gopi also received training under Ganguly Prasad at the SAI Bangalore.[10] [11]
Gopichand married fellow Olympian badminton player P.V.V Lakshmi on June 5, 2002. Lakshmi is also from Andhra Pradesh, home state of Gopichand.[12]
National Badminton
He won his first National Badminton Championship title in the year 1996, and won the title five times in a row, till the year 2000. Also, he won two Gold Medals and one Silver Medal at National Games 1998 held at Imphal. The same year, Gopichand led the State Badminton team of Andhra Pradesh to win the prestigious Rahmatulla Cup.
International Badminton
Gopichand made his debut into International Badminton in the year 1991 when he was selected to play against Malaysia. In his International Badminton career, he represented the nation in 3 Thomas Cup tournaments. In the year 1996 he grabbed a Gold Medal in the SAARC Badminton Tournament held at Vijayawada, and repeated the victory in the same tournament held at Colombo in 1997. At the Commonwealth Games, he won a Silver Medal in the team event and a Bronze Medal in the singles event.
He was able to get his first big boost up at International level in the year 1997 in the Indian Grand Prix Tournament held at Delhi. At the event, Gopichand continuously defeated an array of top-seeded players from all around the world, although he lost in the Final Match. In the year 1999, he won the Toulouze Open Championship in France, and the Scottish Open Championship in Scotland. Continuing his smashing form, he emerged winner at the Asian Satellite tournament held at Hyderabad the same year, and lost in the Final match of the German Grand Prix Championship.
All England badminton Championship
The proudest moments of Gopichand's lifetime arrived in the year 2001, when he recreated the history by winning the prestigious 2001 All England Open Badminton Championships at London. In the Championship, he defeated Danish player Anders Boesen in the Quarter-Final round, while in the Semi-Final round he beat the then world number one Peter Gade in 2 tough sets.[13] Finally, he outperformed Chen Hong of China by 15-12, 15-6 to lift the coveted title, and to achieve the feat that had been accomplished by only one Indian till then, the legendary Prakash Padukone.[14]
Awards and honours
To commemorate his excellent achievements as a badminton player at both national and international level, the Government of India awarded him the Arjuna Award in the year 1999.[15] Further in 2001, he was bestowed upon the highest Indian honour in the field of sports, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.[5] After he won The All England Badminton championship, the Government of Andhra Pradesh rewarded him with a cash prize and a plot in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad as a token of appreciation. In the year 2005, he was conferred the Padma Shri Award.[6] He received the Dronacharya Award on 29 August 2009 for his contribution to Indian badminton as a coach.[7]
Quotes
--"I think competitive sport helps one to learn to endure failure, disappointment and injury. In any other sphere of life, this may not be possible."
--"As a result of aggressive marketing by cola companies, people have stopped drinking healthy drinks like fruit juices and people in the villages have actually begun to believe that soft drinks are good for health. Aerated drinks are not only bad for health, they are also bad for local industry. Thanks to aerated drinks, it's becoming more and more difficult to find nimbu sherbet and coconut water."
References
- ^ "Historical Ranking". Badminton World Federation. http://old.internationalbadminton.org/histranking.asp?rankno=275&id=1. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ^ "Pulella Gopichand". mapsofindia.com. http://www.mapsofindia.com/who-is-who/sports/pulella-gopichand.html. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ^ "P Gopichand". The Times of India. 11 December 2002. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/P-Gopichand/articleshow/30977688.cms. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ^ a b "Pullela Gopichand – The Founder". Gopichand Badminton Academy. http://www.pgba.in/abt_gopi.html. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ^ a b "Gopichand completes rare treble with Dronacharya". Indian Express. 21 July 2009. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/gopichand-completes-rare-treble-with-dronacharya/491904/. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ^ a b "Padma Shri Awardees". Government of India. http://india.gov.in/myindia/padmashri_awards_list1.php?start=480. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ^ a b "Better coaching, big events acting as a booster: Gopichand". Indian Express. 4 December 2009. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/better-coaching-big-events-acting-as-a-booster-gopichand/549874/0. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ^ "Gopi Chand believes India can make it to Group II". The Hindu. 7 May 2009. http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/07/stories/2009050756451600.htm. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ^ a b "Pullela Gopichand - Badminton Player". webindia123.com. http://www.webindia123.com/personal/sports/gopi.htm. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
- ^ "His hard work and dedication has paid off". The Tribune. 11 March 2001. http://www.rediff.com/sports/2001/mar/11arif.htm. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
- ^ "Still a crusader". The Tribune. 15 April 2001. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010415/cth3.htm. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
- ^ "Gopichand to wed Lakshmi". http://www.rediff.com/sports/2002/jun/05gopi.htm.
- ^ "rediff.com". http://www.rediff.com/sports/2001/mar/10gopi.htm.
- ^ "Randhawa’s wait for Padma Shri ends". The Tribune. 26 January 2005. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050126/sports.htm. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
- ^ "LIST OF ARJUNA AWARD WINNERS". web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071225221945/http://yas.nic.in/yasroot/awards/arjuna.htm. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
External links
Categories:- 1973 births
- Living people
- Indian badminton players
- Recipients of the Padma Shri
- Recipients of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
- Telugu people
- Indian Badminton Champions
- Recipients of the Arjuna Award
- Recipients of the Dronacharya Award
- Sportspeople from Andhra Pradesh
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