Nagpur teenage shuttler Nikkita Joseph finishes seventh at International School Federation Games in France

Talented Nagpur shuttler Nikkita Joseph finished a creditable seventh at the 19th International School Federation (ISF) Games in Normandy, France on Friday, May 20.

The 17-year-old, who was part of the Indian Under-18 badminton team, failed to win a medal but did well to secure seventh place at the prestigious sports festival, which began in 1974.

Teenage shuttler Nikkita Joseph cleared her league matches and topped her group to qualify for the knock-out stage.

However, in the quarter-finals she went down to Hsieh Yun-Shan of Chinese Taipei 18-21, 16-21 in 35 minutes. The young ace tried her best but could not get the better of her higher-ranked Chinese Taipei opponent.

Nikkita won the playoffs for seventh place with a gutsy performance. The promising shuttler rallied back to down Tracy Justine Naluwooza of Uganda 19-21, 21-10, 21-8 to clinch the seventh spot.

It was a great experience to play my maiden international tournament, says Nikkita Joseph

More than 70 countries and around 3500 participants competed in 20 sports disciplines in France. Around 250 teenage players from India also took part in the ISF Championship. Nikkita was pleased with her performance and gained a lot of experience from her maiden international tournament.

“It was a really great experience to play in my maiden international tournament. I've got to play with some exceptional players from around the world. I learned a lot of new things from this tournament. I will be returning to Nagpur and working harder to perform better in my upcoming tournaments. I would like to thank my parents and coach Chetak Khedikar Sir. A special thanks to my sponsor Federal Bank,” Nikkita Joseph told Sportskeeda on Friday.

Experienced Nagpur coach Chetak Khedikar was one of the two coaches for the eight-member Indian Under-18 badminton squad in France.

Nikkita, a student at Hislop College in Nagpur, was the only player from Maharashtra to represent the country at the ISF Games.

“It is a very good experience for me to impart my coaching knowledge to the young, talented players of the country. Nikkita and Prerana Shet did really well in the tournament. I am very happy with our performance. I had interactions with the best of the players and coaches around the world in France,” said Chetak Khedikar.

Nikkita Joseph trains at Annasaheb Gundewar College and Mankapur Stadium in Nagpur under the guidance of Badminton World Federation certified coach Chetak Khedikar.