Pullela Gopichand and IDBI Federal Life Insurance's #QuestForExcellence

What separates the best from the rest? It is the Quest for Excellence that they have, the thirst and hunger to stay at the very top of their game. Continuing to push their boundaries, to continue learning by remaining a student forever is what sets the champions apart from the rest.

The aim to reach the pinnacle of their respective fields and stay at the very top is one thing that keeps them going. And that is precisely what shuttler PV Sindhu must have felt in Rio in August when she stood on the podium becoming the first Indian female sportsperson to win a silver medal in the Olympics.

Everyone who knows PV Sindhu is familiar with the man behind her success. That man is none other than her coach, mentor and legendary former badminton player, Pullela Gopichand!

Through his academy, the legendary badminton player, famed for continuing to contribute to Indian badminton, even after retiring, has produced a plethora of badminton stars who have gone on to make India proud.

The Dronacharya Awardee knows that it is millimetres, and milliseconds which make the difference at the very top and that is why he continues to get his wards to push their boundaries by practising hard no matter what.

From the likes of PV Sindhu to Sikki Reddy, HS Prannoy to Srikanth Kidambi, youngster like Satwiksairaj Rankireddy to established shuttlers like Parupalli Kashyap, they’ve all developed their trade under the watchful eye of Gopichand.

IDBI Federal Life Insurance has teamed up with Pullela Gopichand to launch the ‘Quest for Excellence’ programme to make Badminton world champions. IDBI Federal Life Insurance’s vision is to inspire people to shape a better future through their association with sports and fitness in order to help them create a life & lifestyle of their choice.

Despite the lack of world class facilities, India has constantly developed world class badminton players. In India, sports, other than cricket, do not get the focus & recognition and as a result the youngsters rarely consider this to be a future career option.

They either do not take up sports or give it up later. However, the IDBI Federal Life Insurance’s Quest for Excellence, with an aim to improve grassroots badminton and bring it at par with the international standards, could prove to be a game changer.Sports not only helps us stay fit, it also helps in the overall growth & development of an individual.

Having produced Olympic medallists in two back to back editions, it is high time badminton is given its due and gets the support that a few other sports in the country enjoy.As Gopichand himself states, “In India, Badminton doesn’t get the kind of support that some other sports get.”

Through the IDBI Federal Life Insurance Quest for Excellence programme, however, he is confident that the players will get the right training, facilities, and most importantly, support to go on and “inspire a generation of medal-winners”.

After all, it’s the small things that separate the champions from the rest and that is the gap Gopichand hopes to bridge on a regular basis thanks to the initiative and IDBI Federal Life Insurance. After all, talent can only take you so far as; Champions are not born; they are made, through blood, sweat and tears! #ChampionsAreMade

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