CHENNAI: Sixteen-year-old Sankar Muthusamy, a rising shuttler from Tamil Nadu, has been trying to make the most of the limited opportunities that players have got after the outbreak of Covid-19.
With the state and national meets being postponed due to the pandemic, Sankar did not sit idle at home. He traveled all the way to Africa earlier this year to take part in the Uganda International Badminton tournament and bagged a silver medal in the men's category.
Sankar, who was nursing knee pain, won a medal with a lot of determination and grit.
"The field was reasonably strong. It feels good to have won a medal. Must thank Go Sports Foundation for the sponsorship. It was a great feeling to be back on the courts,'" recalled Sankar.
Sankar, who trains at the Fireball Badminton Academy under coach Aravindan Samiappan, said that he had played the tournament without much preparation as his knee kept giving him trouble.
"I was going through some knee pain so I couldn't prepare properly for the match. I played only in the men's singles event,'' he recalled.
Sankar, who won the Player of the Year awards for 2018 and 2019 (jointly with Rithvik) at the annual awards function of the Tamil Nadu Badminton Association, believes that it is not easy for a sportsperson to stay away from the sport.
"It is a very difficult period (Covid) for any sportsman. I'm mentally tough. I'm in 12th standard and I am doing Open schooling. So I juggle my time between studies and badminton. The nationals have been postponed due to covid. We do not know when it will be held. But I am regularly doing my training,'' said Sankar.
The government has permitted those who are preparing for nationals and international events to train.
"Yes, this has helped me train at my academy. I train along with three players. All of us are focused and keen to improve our game,'' he said. The Tamil Nadu Badminton League is to be held in June.
"Really excited to take part in the league. It's a great initiative by TNBA."