Road To Rio: Srikanth Kidambi Is The Hope Of A Billion Prayers At The Olympics

On our previous Road to Rio segment we shared some interesting facts about Indian archer Atanu Das. Also we shared the fun facts on KSP Radio – our new venture, where you can tune into along with your children and enjoy our exclusive broadcast for kids. Continuing the series on other athletes who are all geared up to make India proud at Rio and continue to inspire our children.

KSP Spotlight This Week: Srikanth Kidambi 

Image source: indiaforsports.com

Name: Kidambi Srikanth
Age: 23 years
State: Andhra Pradesh
Event: Men’s Badminton

Highlights:

• Representing India in his first Olympics, Srikanth has an impressive record behind him. He bagged a bronze in the recent Asia Championships and 2 golds in the South Asian Games held earlier this year.
• With the latest news coming in from Rio, Srikanth has qualified for the quarter finals of the Olympics this year, and the nation waits with bated breath for its first medal this year.
• At the start of the Olympics, he was ranked World No 11 in men’s badminton.
• Having trained under the legendary Pullela Gopichand, the high point in Srkanth’s career was when he defeated the five-time world and two-time Olympic champion, Lin Dan, often considered the best in the game in the China Open Super Series. HE is meeting the same opponent in the quarterfinals in the Olympics.
• 8 years ago, his brother Nanda Gopal, a badminton player as well, was training under Gopichand’s academy when their father wanted Srikanth to start training under him as well.
• About the Rio Olympics, Srikanth exudes confidence saying,  “I want to win a medal. It is a tough draw and I have to play at my best from the start. There will be no chance to cruise. And while that is a challenge, it is also why I enjoy the game. The competition is what makes us step on to the court again and again…That and the love of the game”.

Good luck, Srikanth!

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