HYDERABAD: He is one of the most respected badminton coaches in the country. Wizards of the sport, such as Pullela Gopichand have trained under him. For his services to the sport for more than two decades, U Vimal Kumar was recently recommended for the prestigious Dronacharya Award. His name was forwarded by Badminton Association of India (BAI). The 56-year-old has never applied for any award in his life.
In a chat with this newspaper, he shed some light on his journey as a player and then as a coach. “I was not expecting this award, but it has come as a pleasant surprise. I feel honoured.” He narrated his experience as a young shuttler when he was denied Arjuna Award.
“When I was a player, I was not chosen for Arjuna. I was in the top-20 of world rankings. I had won a few big tournaments, and medalled at the Asian Games. That had left me a bit disappointed. After that I had stopped expecting anything. Even if this award had not come, it would not have affected me. But it does make me happy to receive it.”
As a youngster, Vimal was set to pursue MBBS, but chose to study B.Com to concentrate more on his playing career. “My mother, being a teacher, was not happy when I did not go for MBBS. My dad was more supportive. He is a satisfied 93-year-old now.”
His full-time coaching career started with his stint at Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy in 1994, when the legend partnered with him and Vivek Kumar to set up the facility. He went on to have a big impact on Saina Nehwal’s career, as she reached World No 1 ranking under him. Asked about some of his favourite students, he said: “Gopichand, Aparna Popat, Anup Sridhar were some of the best. There were a few talented players we could not help because BAI and the government were not as supportive as they are now.”
Asked who could be the next big thing in Indian badminton, he had a few names in mind. “Ashmita Chaliha is one girl who can make it big, if she works on her strength. She has shown some good results recently. Gayatri Gopichand is also good. She is a thinking player and needs to work on her physical strength. When it comes to doubles, Satwik-Chirag’s recent win is bound to have an effect. Many youngsters will opt for doubles now.”