THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For A K Abdul Latheef, a Thiruvananthapuram native currently based in Abu Dhabi, age is just a number. This 70-year-old engineer is a veteran of two Badminton World Federation Championships. He won a gold and silver in the recently concluded singles and doubles Ceylon International Masters Badminton Tournament in Colombo.
He and his partner Abraham Kuriakose from Kothamamangalam lost to the established players from India, Sushil Kumar Patet and Surendra Singh Pundir in straight two sets in the doubles championship held in Colombo. Abdul Latheef started playing badminton at the age of 15 years. There was none in his family who played badminton those days.
But he got smitten with the game after following legendary badminton player Prakash Padukone. His first championship when he represented the inter university south zone championship in 1973 when he was pursuing BTech electronics and communication engineering from College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram. Since then there has been no looking back for Abdul Latheef who is also a globetrotter having visited 42 countries.
In 2016 he won the doubles gold in Senior Veterans National Championship held in Coimbatore along with Cleflend Mendez, a Kochi native.
Next year, he lost in the World Senior Badminton Championship held in Kochi. Abdul Latheef told TNIE that he maintains a strict regimen even at this age.
“I have maintained 68 kilos throughout the last 17 years. I play a straight two hours of badminton weekly thrice or four times a week to maintain my stamina. I eat all types of food to a limit and drinks pomegranate juice every day”, says Abdul Latheef.
With nearly 55 years of playing experience, he has all copy book shots under his belt. Earlier he has won medals in the state championship, the national veterans’ championship, and numerous trophies in UAE. Abdul Latheef’s playing skills has been passed onto his next generation where his son, Dr Momin Bin Latheef, an orthopaedic surgeon, is already an accomplished badminton player juggling his medical career and sports with equal élan.