NewsBytes
    Hindi
    More
    In the news
    Virat Kohli
    Rohit Sharma
    Novak Djokovic
    Indian Cricket Team
    Rishabh Pant
    Rafael Nadal
    Hardik Pandya
    NewsBytes
    Hindi
    NewsBytes
    User Placeholder

    Hi,

    Logout


    India Business World Politics Sports Technology Entertainment Auto Lifestyle Inspirational Career Bengaluru Delhi Mumbai Visual Stories Find Cricket Statistics Phones Reviews Fitness Bands Reviews Speakers Reviews

    Download Android App

    Follow us on
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
     
    Home / News / Sports News / Gopichand, the Dronacharya of Indian badminton
    Sports

    Gopichand, the Dronacharya of Indian badminton

    Gopichand, the Dronacharya of Indian badminton
    Written by Vijaya
    Aug 21, 2016, 09:03 am 3 min read
    Gopichand, the Dronacharya of Indian badminton

    PV Sindhu, the current Olympic silver medallist and Saina Nehwal, the 2012 bronze winner have one thing in common. Behind the success of these champions is a quiet yet passionate man, busy shaping the future stars of the sport, Pullela Gopichand. Gopichand, the primary reason behind meteoric rise in the success of Indian badminton in the past decade, single-handedly produced some world class athletes.

    Gopichand's profile

    Pullela Gopichand was a former badminton player and the current national badminton coach of India. Born on 16th Nov 1973, in Andhra Pradesh's Nagandla, Gopichand made his international badminton debut in 1991. His sporting achievements include winning an individual bronze and silver in the team event, at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Gopi's best result was winning the 2001 All England Open Badminton Championship.

    How many Indians won the All England Open?

    'All England Open Badminton Championships', one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments, was won by the Indians just twice - once by Prakash Padukone in 1980, and then by Pullela Gopichand, both in Men's Singles.

    Donning the hat of a coach

    While injuries forced Gopichand to retire from the sport early he decided to turn a coach and took to coaching in 2004. Not after long, in 2006, he was appointed as the chief coach of Indian national badminton team. Over the years that he has been coaching, Gopichand transformed the landscape of badminton in India and prepared some of the world's top players.

    Gopichand's badminton Academy

    On the 5-acre land allotted to him by Andhra Pradesh Government, Gopichand set up an international badminton academy, in Hyderabad, in 2008. Gopichand took many top players like Saina Nehwal under his wing. It was under him that Saina clinched the 2012 Olympic bronze and Parupalli Kashyap went on to reach the quarter-finals of the 2012 Olympics, a first for an Indian male shuttler.

    Awards and Recognition

    Pullela Gopichand received many honours both as a player and a coach. He received the Arjuna Award in 1999, the highest sporting honour Rajiv Khel Ratna Award in 2001, and Padma Shri award in 2005. For his contributions to badminton as a coach, he was bestowed upon with the Dronacharya Award in 2009, and the Padma Bhushan Award in 2014.

    More players in the making

    Some of the other young rising badminton players being coached by Gopichand include the Rio Olympic quarter-finalist Kidambi Srikanth, HA Prannoy, Sai Praneeth, Saurabh Verma, etc,.

    Gopichand, a stern taskmaster

    Gopichand demands discipline and commitment from his students. This reflects in the way his Academy is maintained which doesn't have internet access and where the usage of mobile phones is restricted to Sundays alone. Sindhu for instance, "did not have her mobile during the last 3 months", preparing for Rio Olympics. Her strict diet deprived her of favorites like sweet curd and ice-cream.

    Share this timeline
    Facebook
    Whatsapp
    Twitter
    Linkedin
    Latest
    India
    Andhra Pradesh
    Arjuna Award
    Saina Nehwal

    Latest

    Air India urination row: Pilot, crew of NewYork-Delhi flight grounded  Air India
    BMW 7 Series and i7 go official in India BMW
    Irrfan Khan birth anniversary: 7 iconic films of versatile actor Irrfan Khan
    Pakistan vs New Zealand, ODI series: Statistical preview New Zealand Cricket Team

    India

    Will confirm appointment of 44 judges soon: Centre to SC Chief Justice of India
    Kerala to Texas! Judge Surendran Pattel's inspirational rags-to-riches journey Kerala
    Cold wave grips Delhi, temperature dips to 1.8 degrees Celsius Delhi
    Delhi accident: Police identify two more suspects including car owner  Anjali Singh

    Andhra Pradesh

    AP: Stampede kills 3 in TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu's rally Chandrababu Naidu
    Andhra Pradesh: 8 dead at Chandrababu Naidu's Kandukuru roadshow Telugu Desam Party (TDP)
    Telugu legend Kaikala Satyanarayana dies; Ram Charan, Nani pay tribute Telugu Films
    Cyclone Mandous leaves roads waterlogged, uproots trees in Chennai Cyclone

    Arjuna Award

    Mithali Raj to be conferred with Khel Ratna award Shikhar Dhawan
    Legendary Indian badminton player Nandu Natekar no more India
    What should I do to receive Arjuna Award, asks Sakshi Virat Kohli
    Pace spearhead Ishant Sharma nominated for prestigious Arjuna Award Virat Kohli

    Saina Nehwal

    BWF World Championships: Prannoy stuns Lakshya; Saina Nehwal ousted Sports
    Commonwealth Games: PV Sindhu bags gold in women's singles final Sports
    Commonwealth Games: All you need to know about Indian badminton Sports
    Singapore Open: PV Sindhu to face Saena Kawakami in semis Sports

    Love Sports News?

    Subscribe to stay updated.

    Sports Thumbnail
    Indian Premier League (IPL) Celebrity News Hollywood News Bollywood News UEFA Champions League Tennis Football Smartphones Cryptocurrency Upcoming Movies Premier League Cricket News Latest automobiles Latest Cars Upcoming Cars Latest Bikes Upcoming Tablets
    About Us Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Contact Us Ethical Conduct Grievance Redressal News News Archive Topics Archive Download DevBytes Find Cricket Statistics
    Follow us on
    Facebook Twitter Linkedin
    All rights reserved © NewsBytes 2023