For Poornima Cheruku, an upcoming badminton player, it is all about being the best in whatever she’s doing. At the age of 18, this national-level Badminton player is currently ranked 12th in junior singles and third in junior doubles and has also represented the country at Sushant Chipalkatti Memorial India Junior International Badminton Championship held at Pune in 2010. Having represented India at the international level, which she says is, “both an immense responsibility and a great joy”, Poornima is constantly looking to better herself in the pursuit of “becoming a world class player”, which is her ultimate goal in life. “Playing is great. But being at the top is what matters,” she adds.
Coming from a humble background, Poornima juggles her career in sports with her BSc education which she is currently pursuing at St Francis College for Women. When asked how she manages all this, she answers curtly, “It’s difficult, but I know I can.” Indeed so, with a schedule that spreads from 5:30am to 7pm, Poornima does have a hard time managing her practice sessions. But she is not one to back off from such challenges. “My priority lies in both sports as well as education. I have to study the entire night for all my exams. We have to manage the whole year’s burden before the exam without attending the classes. But I’m happy with the way I’m managing everything,” says Poornima.
It has been the same for six years, ever since Poornima took up badminton. It was her mother’s employer, lawyer Chakravarthi, who first introduced her to sports. Impressed by the fact that Poornima always topped her school, the lawyer felt that she had a great potential in sports as well. “It was under his influence that I joined a summer camp,” explains Poornima. And soon after that Poornima’s life changed for good. “My coach Goverdhan Reddy encouraged me to continue training,” says Poornima.
Currently working on her fitness and stamina, Poornima is all set for a career in sports. “It would be great to have badminton as my profession. I want to become one of the top players of the world,” she says. But more importantly, badminton seems to have given her a lot more than just a career. “This sport, the ups and downs and all the lessons it taught me has given me the confidence that I can lead my life the way I want it,” Poornima signs off.
— edex@newindianexpress.com