The badminton fraternity, both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, went gaga over ace shuttler Kidambi Srikanth getting the coveted Padma Shri award in the sports category.
The twenty-four-year-old shuttler won the hearts of the youngsters with his stupendous achievement in the international arena last year and catapulted the country’s image along Olympic silver medallist P. V. Sindhu.
“The award will augur well for Andhra Pradesh badminton, which is striving to carve an identity after bifurcation. We should appreciate the firm support and dedication of his parents who believed and supported him for more than a decade,” said Andhra Pradesh Badminton Association chief executive officer K. Ch. Punnaiah Chowdary:
He said the award will act as a tonic to Srikanth to do well in the coming Commonwealth, Asian Games and also in the 2020 Olympics.
For the shuttlers taking part in the ongoing Andhra Badminton League, it was a moment to cherish as Srikanth was accorded the prestigious national award.
Guntur went ecstatic and Srikanth’s parents, who were present at Guntur relished the moment along with their elder son K. Nanda Gopal, who is taking part in the Andhra Badminton League representing Godavari Guns. “We feel happy for Srikanth for his committed pursuit,” said parents K. V. S. Krishna and Radha Rani.
“Srikanth is now a youth icon. Awards and rewards will help the game to grow to a new level and draw more children to the feather game,” said Rayapati Ranga Rao, president of Andhra Pradesh Badminton Association.
