Winning laurels

Rakshita Sree S wins the gold at the All Indian Badminton Ranking Tournament held at Tiruppur

Rakshita Sree S is in the middle of a badminton match at Lifespring 3600 Fitness, Nava India. She is high on energy, her movements are swift and every time she scores, she smiles. After 45 minutes and three sets, Rakshita comes out victorious.

“That was easy,” she says. This 12-year-old has recently secured gold in the under 13 girl’s singles category at the All India Badminton Ranking Tournament held at Tiruppur by the Badminton Association of India. “I am now ranked number one in the state and number seven in the country. It is a great honour,” she says.

She competed against 237 participants. “For my semi-finals, I played against Navya Kanderi, from Andhra Pradesh. She is now number one in the national ranking. I have played against her and so I knew her strengths and weakness. It helped me make the right moves.” The final was played against Shriyanshi Valishetty of Telegana. Rakshita trains for seven hours every day. “I have a session in the morning and another in the evening. I practised for six months with players much senior to me to prepare for the competition,” she says.

Though she started her professional training only four years ago, Rakshita always knew that she wanted to be a badminton player. “I used to watch my father play the game with his friends when I was five years old. After a while, I joined them even though I did not know the rules or the techniques. It was just for fun.” She was nine when she started her formal training. “I learnt the basics of the game there. Till then, I did not even know how to hold a racquet right.”

Her first competition was the Coimbatore District Badminton Championship 2015. “I was competing in the Under 10 category and I lost the game with a score 2-0. I felt sad, but I was not ready to give up. This failure made me determined to win and I practised with rigour.” Her hard work paid off she secured her first medal, a bronze for the same event, the following year. “This was a huge boost to my confidence. I realised that I had the potential. I was also selected to represent the district for the State Badminton Championship. There, I won silver.”

“I am disciplined and fit. My confidence has increased and so has my emotional quotient. Initially I was unable to accept defeats and used to be nervous before my competitions. Counselling and meditation helped me get over this,” she says. Rakshita’s favourites are Tai Tzu Ying and Lin Dan. “I watch their performance online. Their techniques and the way they handle pressure during the game is amazing.” She is now preparing for the National Championship in November. “All these competitions and experiences are to prepare myself for the 2028 Olympics. I can’t wait to hold that medal in my hands,” she says.

Source: Read Full Article