Legendary Prakash Padukone is set to travel as a mentor along with the 15-member Indian badminton squad for the Paris Olympics, beginning on July 26.
Padukone, the first Indian to win the All England Championship, was retired in 1991 even as badminton was introduced in the Olympics at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
While Lakshya Sen is a product of the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA), Sindhu had announced Padukone as her mentor ahead of the Paris Games after shifting her base to Bengaluru from Hyderabad. She is preparing for her third Olympics.
Why Padukone’s Presence Mattered
Padukone won the All England Championships in 1980 but retired before badminton became an Olympic sport, so he never competed at the Games himself. His role in Paris was to guide two players he knows closely: Lakshya Sen, who trained at his academy, and PV Sindhu, who had moved her base to Bengaluru to work with him.
How It Turned Out
Lakshya Sen had the best run by an Indian man in Olympic badminton, reaching the semifinals before losing the bronze medal match to Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia and finishing fourth. Sindhu, chasing a third straight Olympic medal, was knocked out in the round of 16 by China’s He Bingjiao. India’s men’s doubles hopes also ended early — see how Satwiksairaj and Chirag’s draw played out.
With inputs from PTI.
