Parupalli Kashyap's first brush with the Olympic Games was when he saw one of his childhood heroes, Pullela Gopi Chand (now India's chief national coach) battle it out against Hendrawan in the 2000 Sydney Games.
Now, 12 years later, the 25-year-old is India's lone challenger in the men's singles badminton event at the London Games.
“I am excited at the prospect of playing in the Olympics which, I often hear many people say, is the greatest experience for any athlete,” said Kashyap.
For someone who was down and seemingly struggling to re-discover his form immediately after the Guangzhou Asian Games, this gifted shuttler has not only overcome hurdles such as asthma (he has to take medication every day) but also opponents with a series of impressive performances.
“It was a very close race with Ajay Jayaram. At one stage I felt that it might be very tough to qualify for the Olympics,” he said.
Kashyap, who was a semifinalist in the Australian Open and the recent India Open recently, admits that he did need a bit of luck to realise his dreams.
“If I had not won the previous round against Boonsak Ponsana (before he got the bye against Chen Jin in the quarter-final which confirmed his entry into the London Games) the story would have been different,” he said about the India Open experience.
Kashyap, who Gopi says is a bundle of talent and who has to keep things simple and be more consistent, is not thinking too much about his medal chances in the Olympics right now.
“My focus is on improving strength. This was a major lesson from the India Open. I will have to work really hard on this.
“My smashes and dribbles worked well in the India Open. I am keen to improve further in this key department,” added Kashyap.
“After a break I will start training from Monday and I hope to put everything in place under the supervision of Gopi who is a terrific coach,” he said.
About his asthma Kashyap said, “The restrictions are not that big in terms of food intake. I only have to avoid really cold things.
“Sometimes it is not possible to stick to the restrictions. But perhaps because of my passion for the sport, once I enter the court, I feel at ease. And I must thank my parents for their great support over the years,” he added.
