P. Gopichand: Giving flight to Indian badminton

P. Gopichand receiving the Dronacharya Award from then President Pratibha Patil in 2009 (Getty Images)

Gopichand was presented the Arjuna award in 1999, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2001, the Padma Shri in2005. As a coach he was presented with the prestigious Dronacharya award in 2009, for his efforts in building up the scale and quality of Indian badminton.

He is called Coach by some and Guru by some others. But, as far as Indian badminton is concerned, he is the Dronacharya that has helped spawn this new golden era for Indian badminton.

The players themselves have shown the right attitude to training and development and have responded well to the coaching and support that they have received, which has translated in their careers reaching new heights. Their effort and commitment is not to be brushed aside lightly.

But ‘Coach Gopichand’ has been the shepherd, overseeing the progress of this lot every step of the way, nudging them in the right direction as they went about making the long arduous journey to the top of their games.

Gopichang along with the players that he has helped raise, have not just made the game popular; they have made it a sport that is now aspirational.