The efforts put in by the Coimbatore Badminton Association (CBA) in the past one year seems to have paid off as city shuttler Sathish Kumar K. has been picked for the junior Asian Badminton Championship (ABC) tour in Yangon, Myanmar next month.
The young man will probably be the first junior from this part of the region to figure in an international event. Sathish was obviously delighted to be part of the Indian under-17 squad. “This is my maiden international tour and I am eagerly waiting to showcase my skills,” said the 16-year-old in an exclusive chat with The Hindu .
It is going to be a lot of pressure for this Plus-Two student of Sri Ramakrishna MHSS. “I am going with a clear frame of mind and give my best for the country,” he said.
If Sathish has come this far, the credit must certainly go to N. Venkatesh, his coach at the Sparklers Badminton Academy. Venkatesh, an experienced man, has worked hard on this shuttler for some time now and he well knows his ward like the palm of his hand. “He is a tall player who can reach the shuttle with the blink of an eye. He is very strong in his defence and, with an equally good speed, I believe he will do well in Myanmar," said the coach.
Venkatesh was also happy with his consistency and positive attitude. “He is a good attacking player who can handle any pressure situation with aplomb. If he gets an opening he will just finish it off.”
However, he feels he can still do better. “I am still working on his attacking areas and fitness levels. And, if that gets going then he may be among the best in the world the next couple of years.” Sathish, who has been preparing hard the whole day through, will be joining the rest of the Indian squad for a training session at Bangalore later this month. With strong support from his school and parents, this ambitious shuttler vows to return with only happy memories from Myanmar.
