VIJAYAWADA: Kavya Sriram didn’t just fall in love with badminton; she followed her way into it. As a little girl growing up in Vijayawada, she used to trail behind her father to the badminton court just to watch him play. Before long, watching wasn’t enough. She wanted to join him. Her father became her first coach, and the rest is smash history.
Kavya’s medal journey started early and hasn’t slowed down since. At 9, she won a state‑level doubles bronze in Ongole. By 13, she claimed singles and doubles gold there and silver at the All India School Games in Delhi. Last year, she struck national Under‑13 doubles gold in Kolkata with Kyra Raina.
Ask her what keeps her coming back to the court, and she doesn’t dance around it. “My favourite part of badminton has to be winning,” Kavya said, with confidence of someone who has tasted what it feels like to stand at the top of a podium.
Her idol is Indian badminton icon PV Sindhu, and it’s not only her game that Kavya is chasing. “PV Sindhu is my favourite. She’s my idol. I love her height. I’m the tallest in my class too, so I not only look forward to making my game as strong as hers,” she added.
Balancing studies with national‑level training means long days. “I have to manage, and it is little tough, but my parents make sure I find the balance,” she said.
Her father, Venkat Sriram, started playing badminton in 1990 in Tenali, later moving to Vijayawada to reach the state level before health issues forced him to stop. “My journey is so old,” he said with a laugh. “Kavya is not only living her dream, but also mine,” he said.
“When she was very young, she showed immense love for the game, and that’s when I decided to put her into full‑time coaching,” Venkat recalled. Both father and daughter agree much of Kavya’s progress is due to coach K Bhaskar, whose early belief pushed her to raise the bar.
Venkat recalls the moment he knew she was destined for more. “The first time she won, I knew she was only going to go forward in this career, because numerous people study, but sport is not for everyone.” “In my time, there wasn’t much support. My wife and I wanted to support our children in every way possible,” he said.
With Jaipur on the horizon this year for Under‑15 Nationals, Kavya isn’t slowing down to catch her breath. She’s stepping onto a bigger stage in a tougher age group. But if her track record is anything to go by, this is only the beginning of a much longer winning streak, with plenty more medals still waiting to be won.