Boxing Federation of India set to introduce zonal representation system

Boxing is all set to change the way it is run in the country. The newly-created Boxing Federation of India is all set to introduce the zonal representation system in their Executive Committee – a move which appears to be a step in the right direction.

The federation’s new constitution divides India into 8 zones - each zone are expected to comprise about 4-5 state units and 16 executive committee members. “I think it is a forward-looking move.
“These eight zones will comprise 8 zonal vice presidents and 8 zonal secretaries – they will be selected from its all India voters - 2 each from BFI's 36 member states & union territories,” an official closely involved in the latest developments said.

Boxing Federation of India has also decided to induct boxers directly in the executive committee. 4 boxers - 2 males and 2 female will be elected in the federation’s executive committee independently. “2 past performers and 2 practicing Champions ( 1 male + 1 female each ) will be inducted in the BFI Executive Committee through an independent election to be held among boxers,” the official added.

There is another positive development as well - the Sports Ministry has given its NOC to the registration of the Boxing Federation of India federation. “This is really good news for all of us. The Ministry will send an observer for the elections also. We also need to get recognition of the Indian Olympic Association (IOC) – once we get that everything will fall in place,” the official.
Indian boxing is looking good for now, and formation of the federation seems to be only a ‘matter of time’ – hopefully, Indian boxers will get to box in the Rio Olympics under the national flag and not under the AIBA as was the case in recent times.

Interview with Parupalli Kashyap: "Hope to return to competitive action by June"

Excerpts:

Injuries are part and parcel of a sportsperson’s life. India’s ace shuttler Parupalli Kashyap is trying hard to take this injury setback in his stride – setback because the injury will not heal in time for him to be available for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The 29-year-old Hyderabad lad is expected to return to competitive action by June. The cut-off date for Olympic qualification was May 4 and Kashyap’s knee injury puts a seal of confirmation on him not playing in the Rio Olympics. He talks about his injury and much more in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:
Q. How is your rehab program going on?

It’s been going on okay. I think I will need about three weeks for my medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury my knee to heal. After the MCL heals my doctors will take a call on my future course of action.

I would like to thank Olympic Gold Quest for taking good care of me after I slipped and fell in the pre-quarterfinal of the German Open. OGQ brought me to Mumbai and arranged the doctors and physios for me.

Q. Is there still any outside chance of you making your second Olympic appearance?

To be honest, my Olympic-playing hopes are over. May 4 was the cut-off date for the world’s top 16 to make the cut and since I have missing tournaments one after another due to my injury, my rankings also fell and now it is a reality that I won’t be playing in the Rio Olympics.

Q. Is it because May is the cut-off date for the world’s top 16 to qualify for the Olympics that you are missing the marquee event? Had the cut-off date had been a few months later, do you think you still had a chance of qualifying for the Olympics?

Not really. There aren’t too many tournaments happening after May.

Q. How much of a disappointment it is to miss your Olympics?

It is a big disappointment but I can’t control injuries. I must have missed six-seven tournaments since the German Open and I also have to remember that I had calf injury in October which put me of competitive action for two months. I missed about 11-12 tourneys and was out of action for six months.

Q. You skipped the 2016 SAF Games to get your calf injury adequate rest.

I took that call as I wanted to be fully fit and not carry any niggles. In fact, I was feeling really good in February – like fully fit and made my comeback in the Syed Open and in the Premier Badminton League.

Q. When do you think you can realistically expect to return to the competitive circuit?

I hope to be back on court by June. Olympic is out of question but at least a player I’m optimistic about staging a comeback.

Q. You played for Hyderabad Hotspots in the Premier Badminton League (PBL). How was your experience?

It was excellent – a league well conducted. All I hope is that it happens every year and it will be a boon for Indian badminton.

Interview with Oinam Bembem Devi: "Strong grassroot level programmes will help women's football"

Q. You played for Manipur for 20 years – you played 80 internationals and scored 32 goals – you were part of the Manipur team that won the senior nationals 17 times, and you were captain 9 times.
Oinam Bembem Devi has been the ‘Pillar’ of the Indian senior women’s football team for two decades. Understandably, her decision to call time on her international career after the 2016 SAF Games will leave a big void in the Indian midfield position.

The 37-year-old vastly experienced midfielder played for 20 years for the country since making her international debut in 1995 as a 15-year-old. Bembem, who is employed with Manipur Police, talks about the state of women’s football in India and much more in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Q. You decided to retire from international football after playing for the country for 20 years. Was this decision a planned one?

Look, I took a decision to quit international football in December and apprised AIFF about it. The 2016 SAF Games was coming up in Guwahati and Shillong – I was asked if I could play in the SAF Games and I agreed to play in the event, which turned out to be my international swansong.

Q. You also played for Manipur for one last time at the 21st Senior National Football Championship in Jabalpur, where your home state lost to Railways 3-4 on penalties.

Our girls really worked hard and we reached the final. I scored a goal in the final, where both teams were locked 3-3 after extra time. It was hard luck for us but the girls played their hearts out.

Q. What plans you have post retirement?

I made my senior international debut in 1995 as a 15-year-old boy and after playing for 20 years, I would like to contribute to the sport. I may take up coaching activities but as of now, I haven’t decided on anything.I’m proud of my achievements. I feel happy to have contributed for my state and the country.

Q. Tells us a bit about you playing in a foreign league in 2014?

I played in the Maldives league in June 2014 for New Radiant. The league in Maldives is quite competitive – players from Germany, Sri Lanka and other nations came on loan to play in the league. Maldives has good infrastructure for women’s football and the league was conducted professionally.

Q. What is your biggest moment as a player?

It has to be winning the 2016 SAF Games gold medal. The crowd in Shillong was massive – I have never seen such huge crowds before. The way I was honoured for my farewell match was something I can never forget.

Q. How do you see the infrastructure for women’s football in India?

States like Manipur, Odisha, West Bengal and Maharastra have good grassroots level program for women footballers but I think women’s football must have proper infrastructure across all states as it will help to build a strong national team.

Q. Manipur players dominate the national side - at times the team is packed with players of the North Eastern state.

Manipur has craze for women’s football and that is why you see more girls from our state in the Indian team. At times, the team have eight to ten players from Manipur, if you include those state girls who go to Bihar or outside Manipur to take up jobs in Railways the number will of state players will be more.

Q. Finally how is important is a I-League type league for Indian women’s football?

I have heard that such kind of league will happen. If it happens, Indian women’s football will get really strong as we don’t have too many domestic tournaments during the year.

Interview with shuttler Sameer Verma: Staying injury-free really helped my game

Sameer Verma is a breath of fresh air for Indian badminton. The 21-year-old Madhya Pradesh lad, who is employed with Air India, has had a phenomenal run over the last one year or so, attaining a world ranking of 35 after hovering around 262 at the start of 2015. The soft-spoken shuttler joined the Gopichand Academy in 2010 and has strung together some big wins in recent months scalping the likes of Tien Minh Nguyen, Wang Zhengming and Hu Yun.

The 2015 Senior National Championship runners-up, who is now looking ahead to the upcoming 2016 edition in Chandigarh starting April 6, spoke about his meteoric rise and much more in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Q. You were ranked 262 at the start of 2015 and you have now soared into the top-50 reaching a ranking of 35 in the first few months of 2016. How would you sum up your impressive run in last one year or so?

I always look to raise the performance bar and the fact that I steered clear of nagging injuries helped me to play consistently and move up the ranking ladder.

Q. What is that one factor that helped to perform so consistently – you have won three tournaments in last few months– back-to-back crowns in Bahrain, followed by the Tata Open title?

As I said earlier it really helped that I was able to stay injury-free during his period and that allowed me to train hard and perform at my best. Of course, I’m more focused than ever before – all these things really helped to bring about marked improvement in my game. As you know getting injured is never a good thing as you spent a lot of time in rehab and you can’t be at the peak of your powers on a comeback trail.

Q. How was it like beating your elder brother Sourabh in the final of the Tata Open in Mumbai?

I took up badminton after watching him play. Sourabh is not just my elder brother, but also my mentor, guide and friend – all rolled into one. We share a lot of things and share a great bond.

Q. Your elder brother was in the top-30 for a long time but seems to be struggling to string together consistent wins. Your thoughts.

Sourabh is a talented player – it is just that he had endured prolonged injuries last year like elbow and knee injuries, which really dented his game. He was not able to play regularly in the international circuit and hence his rankings also suffered. I’m sure he will bounce back sooner than later.

Q. How satisfying was it winning the back-to-back singles crowns in Bahrain last year?

I have fond memories of annexing the Bahrain International Badminton Challenge at Isa Town. I upset top seed Tien Minh Nguyen of Vietnam in the quarterfinals. It was a down-to-the-wire contest – I had lost the first game 17-21 but came back hard to level things winning the second game at 21-14 before winning the decider 21-9.

Q. Now that you are ranked 35 in the world, how do you intend to climb further up?

Look, moving up the ranking ladder takes a lot of effort but staying there is even tougher. I would look to stay consistent and strive to break into the top-10 by 2016-end.

Q. Every shuttler looks to improve – what will be your focus areas in terms of raising the performance bar?

I believe I need to be stronger mentally. Of course, there is no full stop to learning and I’m going to keep working in all aspects of my game.

Q. Which has been the most memorable singles win on the international circuit so far?

I had some great wins in recent months but my win over China’s Wang Zhengming in the second round of the Swiss Open. I won in straight games 21-19, 22-20 has to be my best career win so far. Of course, I also upset Hong Kong’s Hu Yun in the first round of the All England Championship, but my victory over Wang was special.

Q. Tell us a bit about your family?

I hail from Dhar township which is near Indore in Madhya Pradesh. My father, who happens to be my first coach, works in the Narmada Valley Development Authority, while my mother is a housewife.

Interview with N Sikki Reddy: "Want to break into top-30 in mixed doubles"

N Sikki Reddy shunned singles owing to a serious knee and on doctors’ advice she switched to doubles – the Hyderabad girl has surely done justice to her ‘switch’ winning the senior nationals in women doubles as well as finishing runners-up in mixed doubles.

The 22-year-old – a product of Gopichand Academy – also won the mixed doubles gold at the 2016 SAF Games besides finishing runners-up in women doubles. Sikki made her senior international debut in 2009 and was part of the Indian team that won the bronze medal in the women’s team event at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. She talks about her game and much more in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Q. You won the 2016 Senior Nationals crown in women’s doubles alongside Pradnya Gadre and finished runners-up in mixed doubles alongside Pranav Jerry Chopra. Your thoughts.

I expected to win both the titles but unfortunately lost my mixed doubles very closely 22-20, 22-20, it's was just not our day. But losing makes me work more harder and harder. I didn't have any pressure at all in the women doubles as Pradnya had just returned from injury – she was off the court for 6 months and had hardly practised before the nationals. So it was good that we won the nationals as this will give confidence to Pradnya.

Q. How would sum up your performance at the recent Singapore Open?

We played good at the Singapore open as we didn't have any pressure at all because me and Pranav Jerry Chopra just started playing mixed doubles and our progress was going quite well from the New Zealand Open and India Open. Hopefully, we would continue this consistency and upset some top pairs.

Q. You regularly play in women doubles and mixed doubles – how difficult to cope with both categories in terms of workload?

There is a lot of difference between women and mixed doubles. It's quite difficult to manage both but from past few months I was concentrating more on mixed doubles as my women doubles partner was injured. When you play the both the events the workload also increases, so you have to prepare for that mentally and physically, then only you can play both the events.

Q. I believe you left singles long back. Any reason for that?

I have injured my knee couple of times - ACL & Meniscus. So my doctor told me if you love the sport and if you wish to continue for a long time then you have to shift to doubles.

Q. What are the goals you have set for 2016?

I want to break into the top-30 by 2016-end in mixed doubles and win a couple of Grand Prix tournaments with the new partner (Pranav Jerry Chopra). My women doubles partner Pradnya is still not so fit, so once she is completely ok we will sit and plan.

Q. Which has been the most cherished win so far?
My mixed doubles win at the 2016 South Asian Games.

Q. What are the areas you would like to improve?

I have to do a lot of explosive training and strength. Physically I need to be more strong and on court I have to be consistent. I should not commit simple mistakes – that's the difference between me and top international players.

Q. Indian shuttlers now have a specialist doubles coach – how much are you benefitting?

It’s good that we got a doubles coach, we have got new ideas on the doubles how to play and what type of training we do. Our doubles coach is focusing more on the juniors and the players who has the chance to play in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Q. You represented Chennai Smashers in the PBL – how was the overall PBL experience?

It's sad that I didn't get any chance to play in the PBL but I have learnt a lot from the players of our team during practise sessions, which gave me confidence. My team members have good friends thanks to the PBL. Hopefully, next time they will put up a new rule that every foreigner has to play doubles with one Indian then it will be fun!

Q. Can you elaborate on how you started taking up badminton – who was the coaches from the beginning till your entry in Gopichand Academy?

My father loves sports - he and my dad’s brother Manohar Reddy (Babai) had enrolled me at a summer camp in 2002 at the Lal Bahadur Indoor Stadium in Hyderabad. I have won the summer camp tournament, so the coaches over there told my parents that I have good talent and that they should bring me for practice regularly. Goverdhan Reddy was my  first coach and then in 2004, I moved to the Gopichand academy.

How the WFI was justified in picking Sandeep Tomar ahead of Rahul Aware

Of course, Sandeep has no guarantee that he will wrestle in Rio as the WFI is likely to conduct trials between Sandeep and Amit Kumar Dahiya to decide who books the flight to Rio.

The Indian wrestling contingent’s preparations for the Olympic Qualifiers in Mongolia was marred by the controversy surrounding wrestler Rahul Aware’s move not to board the flight to Georgia for a training stint because his name was missing from the 57-kg category for the Mongolia Olympic Qualifiers.

The manner in which Rahul refused to travel with the team to Georgia did ruffle the feathers of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) as they picked Sandeep Tomar ahead of him for the Mongolia Olympic Qualifiers.

Now, the WFI scored a ‘moral high point’ after Sandeep Tomar bagged a bronze medal in the 57-kg in the Mongolia Olympic Qualifiers, thus ensuring an Olympic berth for India in Rio.
The point is – Sandeep’s bronze-medal effort has ensured two things – first, the WFI was justified in picking him ahead of Aware and second, Aware’s Olympic aspirations are truly over after his recent unbecoming act.
Aware had no business to behave in the manner he did and should have exercised patience as one more Olympic qualifying tournament was anyway happening in May in Turkey.

The WFI, on his part, has shown that it was keen to try out all grapplers to pick his best choice for the Rio Olympics. The fact that the WFI wants to conduct trials between Sandeep and Amit Kumar Dahiya indicates that it does not nurse any grudge against anyone and only wants to pick the best medal prospect for the Rio Olympics.

The unsavoury controversy before the Mongolia Olympic Qualifiers has one big loser – Rahul Aware, who actually won a bronze medal like Sandeep in the earlier Olympic qualifiers but in that event, only two finalists secured Olympic spots.

Aware is a talented wrestler but he could have avoided an unwanted controversy and now there will be a question mark over his international career.

Women League: A big boost for Indian women’s football

Women’s football across the country does not quite enjoy the same patronage like men’s football. Over the years, there has been a clamour for improved infrastructure and holding of more tournaments.

Often, those calls went unheeded as the sport appeared like growing at a soporific pace. But not anymore! In a move that could change the landscape of Indian women’s football, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has come up with an ‘announcement’ that will sound like music to the ears of all and sundry, who closely follow the sport.
For a sport that is in a moribund state with few tournaments held during the year, despite the fact that India is ranked 58 in FIFA rankings as compared to the 162nd ranking of our men’s team. It may not be sarcastic to suggest that very few tournaments are held for women footballers at the national level.

In fact, the senior nationals is the only tournament that one can remember during the year, and that speaks something about the apathy Indian women’s football has endured over the years. Barring for states like Manipur, West Bengal, Odisha, Delhi, Bihar and Maharashtra, women’s football hasn’t been able to attract popularity.
Of course, there is no shortage of big names to pep up the sport. Aditi Chauhan, Tanvi Hans and Bembem Devi are well known and the troika can be used to lift women’s football in India. The much-talked about league will comprise six teams in its inaugural year and is likely to be expanded to eight teams next year.

One hopes that the inaugural women’s league gets its rightful eyeballs and not get buried under the weight of two leagues – ISL and I-League, happening in one calendar year. Indian women’s football can go up only if the league is conducted in an ‘organised’ way and not staged just like going through the motions.

The biggest gain of this women’s soccer league is that our women players – often starved of playing regular tournaments – will now have a platform to not just show their worth but also the league will throw open many hidden talents when six teams feature in the inaugural edition.
“It’s a great thing for Indian women’s football. Indian women football will grow from strength to strength in the years to come,” says former Indian captain and veteran Bembem Devi.

How the bitter Volleyball Federation of India feud is hurting India

Subtle politicking and one-upmanship in national sports federations are nothing new in India. Take the latest case of the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI). The body has been rocked by bitter feuding between its president Chaudhary Avadhesh Kumar and secretary Ramavtar Jakhar – bickering came to the fore when VFI president Chaudhary Avadhesh Kumar announced the holding of the Indian Volleyball League (IVL) for men, women and beach version in June-July and October and the beach version in January 2017.

The league’s announcement triggered a war of words between Chaudhary Avadhesh Kumar and Ramavtar Jakhar, with both accusing each other of hijacking the event for their own personal interests. The mudslinging went on even as the VFI president had announced a tie-up with Sportzlive, a Delhi-based sports marketing and branding company.

The seeds of bitterness were sown then and culminated in Ramavtar Jakhar calling a meeting in Chennai with the secretary claiming that he has the support of most state units, which looked a far cry as VFI’s Emergent Executive Committee meeting in Nagpur was attended by 14 state units with four or five units skipping both meetings.

The VFI president has termed the Chennai meeting as ‘illegal’ since neither the president nor the one-third members of the VFI units have requested to call for it. So what does mean is that VFI president Chaudhary Avadhesh Kumar is now on a strong footing to run the affairs of the Federation.

The Patiala House Court has recognised the Emergent Executive Committee, presided over by the President, as official. Ramavtar Jakhar did everything possible to scupper the pitch as he moved the Chennai High Court to grant a stay on the Nagpur Emergent Executive Committee meeting but he was in for a disappointment as the Chennai High Court has refused to give stay on the meeting.

Now the body spearheaded by VFI president Chaudhary Avadhesh Kumar, decided on its future course of action and agreed to hold its annual general meeting on April 15 at Hotel Inderlok in Dehradun.

The AGM could see Ramavtar Jakhar and his cronies being penalised for their unbecoming act. The antics of Ramavtar Jakhar ensured the need for a new secretary – the post filled up by K. Nandkumar of Karnataka, who has taken up the job on an interim basis.

It is learnt that some state units supporting Ramavtar Jakhar have been suspended and will be replaced by the new state office-bearers. “There was no need for Ramavtar Jakhar to resort to such behaviour. Chaudhary Avadhesh Kumar deserves to run the affairs as almost all state units are backing him. This incident has surely dented the reputation of the VFI,” said a VFI official.
One hopes that the ongoing storm in VFI blows over for the betterment of Indian volleyball.

We can now beat the top pairs: Pranaav Jerry Chopra

This piece was published in Sportskeeda
 
Indian badminton’s men’s doubles scene appears bright with a couple of solid pairs showing signs of breaking into the elite top-10. The pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Akshay Dewalkar (the other pair being Manu Attri-B.Sumeeth Reddy) have exuded immense promise in recent times, coming up with impressive performances on a consistent basis.
Pranaav Jerry Chopra has played his part in ensuring that he and Akshay have been able to work up a redoubtable combination on the court. The 23-year-old Ludhiana lad talks about his game and much more in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.
Excerpts:

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Q: What are your expectations for the year 2016?
2016 has been great so far, I had delivered good performances in PBL and Syed Modi, also winning the bronze at Badminton Asia Team Championship was a good start to 2016. I wish we continue the same form and win bigger tournaments.
Q: You must have really enjoyed being part of the Indian team that stunned mighty China 3-2 in the recent Badminton Asia Team Championships in Hyderabad?
It is always great to be a part of history and we as a team certainly created history by defeating the leading nations in badminton.
Q: You and Akshay had a fabulous run at the 2016 Syed Modi International Grand Prix Gold, where you upset three higher ranked opponents. Must have been a special feeling.
Yes, it was a great feeling to win against these mighty opponents on home grounds in front of Indian fans. I must say the crowd support did us proud. It would have been much better if we would have been the winners but I’m still quite happy with the way we played all our matches in this tournament.

Q: Do you think beating pairs like A Pratama-R K Suwardi, M Conrad-Petersen-M P Kolding and Kim Sa-rang-Kim Gi-jung give you the confidence that you guys can break into the top-10 sooner than later?
Yes, it definitely gives us great confidence because all these pairs are in the top-10 and beating them is a sign of progress for us.
Q: Indian have a solid men’s doubles pair in Manu Attri-B Sumeeth Reddy and with you guys being a formidable pair, things are looking good for the Indian doubles scene. Your thoughts.
Yes, it is very important to have two good pairs in a team who have been defeating different top pairs of the world. It is also very motivating for the upcoming juniors.
Q: How much has the presence of Malaysian doubles coach Tan Kim Her helped you guys?
We have more specific doubles training sessions since the presence of Tan coach. We have well-planned practice sessions for the entire month. He asks us to focus on individual weaknesses and work more on the coordination as a pair and understand each other's game well.
Q: You have been playing with Akshay since 2011. What has been the secret of your success story so far?
I think playing together for so many years itself has been the secret. When u play together for so long you tend to develop a certain understanding with your partner that helps during tough matches.
Q: How you think the Premier Badminton League (PBL) will help Indian badminton.
PBL is a great success. It brings top badminton to India, benefiting Indian players as well as viewers. Not only just competing against the top players but also being able to partner them and learn from them about the strategies of the matches, especially when it is a close match situation and the most important part of the game when you need a strong strategy.
Q: Tell us about your early days in badminton – where did you badminton journey start?
I started in Sutlej club in Ludhiana (my hometown) with my dad and it just got interesting each and every day. With the help of people I could have some good practice sessions and started playing tournaments. The transformation happened in Mumbai where I stayed for two years under Uday Pawar, and then it was 2008 when I joined Gopichand Badminton Academy and started competing on the international circuit.

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I hope to break into Top 10 by the end of 2016: Akshay Dewalkar

This piece was published in Sportskeeda
 
Indian men’s doubles player Akshay Dewalkar has been riding on a wave of impressive performances. The 27-year-old Mumbai lad was part of the national team that stunned China 3-2 in the recently-held Badminton Asia Team Championships in Hyderabad.

Akshay, who pairs up with Pranaav Jerry Chopra, had runners-up finish at the 2016 SAF Games in Guwahati. The pair of Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Jerry Chopra had a giant-killing run at the 2016 Syed Modi International Grand Prix Gold in Lucknow, where they scripted consecutive wins over higher ranked opponents.

Dewalkar who along with Chopra has been featuring in men’s doubles for the country since 2011 spoke about his game and much more in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.

Here are the excerpts:

Q. It must have been a ‘big high’ stunning China in the quarter-finals of the recently-concluded Badminton Asia Team Championships in Hyderabad before you guys went to beat Malaysia, but unfortunately, lost to Indonesia in the semifinals.

It was a great feeling to beat China (we won 3-2) as they are a formidable side. K Srikanth was in fine form winning his singles match and even Pranoy and Jayaram pull off wins. It’s a creditable achievement to reach the semifinals after we prevailed over Malaysia 3-2 before we lost to Indonesia 1-3. Pranav and I lost to Angga Pratama-Ricky Karanda Suwardi in the semifinals in the men’s doubles but overall India performed quite well.

Q. At the 2016 SAF Games in Guwahati, you lost to fellow Indians – Manu Attri-B Sumeeth Reddy to settle for the silver medal.

Look, the competition at the 2016 SAF Games was not that stiff - we were expected to fare well and our performance was on expected lines.

Q. Indian badminton has two strong men’s doubles pairs – you and Pranaav Chopra and Manu Attri-B Sumeeth Reddy. Do you think the presence of two robust doubles pairs creates healthy competition?

Healthy competition is always good for any player. Manu Attri-B Sumeeth Reddy are doing well for the country and we are also trying to do our best for the country.

Q. BAI has appointed Malaysian Tan Kim Her as the country’s new doubles coach.

Tan Kim Her’s presence is really helping our doubles players. We are learning to strategize better and getting tips from him on how to reach to different situations during a match. All players are benefiting from his coaching.

Q. You and Pranaav had a fabulous run at the 2016 Syed Modi International Grand Prix Gold, where you upset three higher ranked opponents en route to reaching the final where you lost to Malaysia’s Tan Wee Kiong and Goh V Shem.

It was a superb tournament for us. We first accounted for the Indonesian world number 10 pair of A Pratama and R K Suwardi in the quarterfinals – subsequently we put it across the world number 8 Danish pair of M Conrad-Petersen and M P Kolding in the semifinals before we overwhelmed South Korean world number 7 pair of Kim Sa-rang and Kim Gi-Jung in the last four stage. Creating three upsets on the trot was a great feeling but unfortunately we came up short in the final.

Q. You and Pranaav Jerry Chopra are currently ranked 34 in the world. What goals do you have for 2016?

We will keep working hard and hope to break into the top-10 by 2016-end.

Q. The Premier Badminton League (PBL) was a great advertisement for Indian badminton. Your thoughts.

It was great to see the league happen after a long gap. The matches were really exciting and spectators also loved every bit of the action. I’m sure PBL will enhance the popularity of badminton in the country.

Q. What are the areas you guys are looking to improve?

We want to focus on a lot of areas. We want to improve our net play as well as our court movements. There is a lot of hard work ahead of us and we will keep putting in the hard yards.

Q. As a men’s doubles pair, what do you think are your biggest strengths?

I think both of us are attacking players and that makes a lot of difference to the way we play. Our attacking game stands us in good stead at all times.

Need to be mentally tough: Ace woman archer Deepika Kumari

This interview was published in Sportskeeda

Indian archer Deepika Kumari is putting in all the hard yards in pursuit of winning an elusive medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and is a product of the Tata Archery Academy, which has played a pivotal role in shaping up her archery career.

Kumari, who missed out on a podium finish at the 2012 London Olympics, is more determined than ever before to stand on the podium in Rio.

She spoke to Sportskeeda about her medal aspirations at the 2015 Archery World Cup and her preparations for the 2016 Rio Olympics in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Indian women have earned three quota places in the individual recurve event of the 2016 Rio Olympics. Are you certain of representing the country at the 2016 Olympics?

It is true that our women archers have bagged three quota places in the recurve event of the 2016 Rio Olympics, but all our women archers will be slugging it out in various selection trials to be held early next year before we know, who will represent India in the recurve event at Rio.

You had a fairly productive 2015 winning a medal at the Archery World Cup. How would you assess your overall performance in 2015?

There were disappointments at times but overall I’m pretty chuffed with my performance. My bronze medal in the Archery World Cup was hugely satisfying.

You have the experience of playing at the 2012 London Olympics under your belt. As you gear up to make your second Olympic appearance in Rio, do you think the London experience will stand you in good stead?

Absolutely! Obviously playing in the Olympics is a big thing, and I’m sure I will be richer with the experience when I go to the archery range in Rio.

Tell us a bit about the challenges of playing abroad as compared to playing in India.

In India, it really does not matter whether we are playing in summer or winter. But when we play in foreign countries, the weather is a big factor. Sometimes we continue playing even if it is raining heavily. At times, the strong wind can also affect our performance.

You came from a financial disadvantaged family – you parents slogged a lot to support your archery career.

Yeah, my parents has done a lot to support my archery passion. They want me to win an Olympic medal, which I hope to attain in Rio.

Your archery career really took shape when you joined the Tata Archery Academy. How much of your success you owe it to them?

I owe everything to the Tata Archery Academy. Without their support I would have not been able to achieve whatever I have done for the country so far.

Indian archers have been consistently winning medals in World Championships but do you think an Olympic medal is a must for the future of Indian archery?

Indian archery needs a medal-winning performance at the Olympics – if we can win an Olympic medal the sport will get more respect in the country and more youngsters will take up archery.

Every archer looks to improve all the time. What is that one thing you would like to work on?

I think I’m mentally weak – I need to work on my mental toughness.

There was a feeling that you like to stay away from the media. Your thoughts.

To be honest, I’m not comfortable handling the media. It’s not that I don’t like to talk to the media but it is just that I’m not at ease with the press.

Finally, how realistic are you about winning a medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics?

It will be tough for sure. We competed among top 100 nations to qualify for the Olympics, where top archers from 16 nations are going to take part. The competition will be fierce and I have to give my best shot in Rio and land a medal for my country.