Nobody knows Prakash Padukone better than U. Vimal Kumar. The former National champion grew up watching Padukone, idolized him, began playing with him and went on to become his close friend and associate at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy.
“We have been friends for four decades,” says Vimal. “The most endearing quality about Prakash is his sincerity. Be it coaching, playing or personal interaction. He does what he says and says what he can do.”
Another aspect that Vimal has always admired is Padukone’s sporting spirit. “You don’t see that often in any other sportsman. There was
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this article about Prakash which my father read out to me. It was about a 1976 match against a Thai player in the Nehru Gold Cup final in Delhi. In the third game, the umpire ruled a point in favour of Prakash when the return from the Thai star had actually fallen inside
the line. Prakash wanted to concede that point but the referee overruled it and gave the point to Prakash. Then, Prakash did an unimaginable thing. He took the shuttle and deliberately served it out and lost the point! He also lost the game and the match at 17-18. That story stayed in my mind and I instantly became his fan,” says Vimal.
Padukone's greatest legacy was his triumph in the All England Championship in 1980. “Till then, nobody knew of Indian badminton, let alone imagine that an Indian could win a prestigious event like the All-England Championship. Prakash changed all that,“ says Vimal.
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Another of Padukone’s legacies is the PPBA. “It was the first private badminton academy in Asia and Padukone believed that we could nurture great talent, providing all facilities to players with the right sponsorship. There were skeptics, but he proved them wrong by making it a premier academy in the country,” concludes Vimal.