HS Prannoy: ‘Life’s toughest tournament’

Updated On: 12 October, 2023 08:10 AM IST | New Delhi | PTI

Asian Games bronze medallist shuttler HS Prannoy says he hasn’t played with so much pain like he did in China

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Chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand (left) felicitates Asian Games medallists HS Prannoy (centre) and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy at his academy in Hyderabad yesterday. Pic/PTI

The image of HS Prannoy breaking down and hugging coach Pullela Gopichand after battling excruciating back pain to seal his maiden bronze medal in Hangzhou was one of the most emotional moments of the Asian Games. It was a culmination of years of toil as the 31-year-old fought against his body and battled inner demons to lead India to a first-ever silver in men’s team championships and also ended a 41-year-old wait for a men’s singles bronze.

‘He knows my struggles’

“Sometimes people don’t know what happens behind the scenes. They don’t know what struggle we go through to just play and Gopi bhaiyaa has known me for the last 15 years. He knows my struggles, what issues I had in my career,” Prannoy told PTI. “He knows how difficult it was for me to play that particular match [quarter-finals] considering the conditions, and opponent [Lee Zii Jia]. The shuttles were slow, so you had to hang in there for 30-40 shot rallies, so the pain was mentally tough to bear.”

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