Indian badminton legend Prakash Padukone, actress Deepika Padukone's father, has recovered from Covid and had been discharged from hospital on May 8.
While the discharge happened on May 8 and The New Indian Express had also carried an update stating that he was recovering well on May 13, this update was necessitated since the story you are reading, carried initially when there was news of him testing positive, was still being shared.
The 65-year-old ex-badminton World No 1 had been admitted to a hospital on May 1 as a precautionary measure after he along with his wife Ujjala and Deepika's sister Anisha had all tested positive for the virus. As we mentioned earlier, he is now on the road to full recovery.
Prakash Padukone emerged as a role model of Indian sports after becoming one of the most luminous names in the golden era of the sport in the 1970s and 1980s.
He was the first Indian to win a medal at the World Championships after clinching a bronze in the 1983 edition. He was also the first Indian to be ranked world number one, a feat he accomplished in 1980 following back-to-back title wins at the Denmark Open, All England Championships and Swedish Open.
Prakash, it was said, had played a big role in the evolution of Danish badminton great Morten Frost, his friend and sparring partner. The younger generation might remember him as one of the legends who carried the torch in the iconic Doordarshan Freedom Run.
Following his retirement in 1991, Prakash served as the chairman of Badminton Association of India (BAI). He has also moulded many of India's current badminton stars and is also on the board of Olympic Gold Quest, co-founded with ex-billiards World Champion Geet Sethi.
He was also the coach of the Indian team from 1993 to 1996.
While receiving the first Lifetime Achievement award instituted by the BAI, Prakash had famously shared this advice with aspiring players: "Don't say what badminton can give you, instead ask what you can do for badminton. I did not play for money, rewards or recognition. I played for the love for the game."