Parents of badminton player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy who along with Chirag Shetty became the first Indian pair to win a Badminton World Federation’s Super 500 tournament by clinching gold at the Thailand Open were all exhilarated seeing people celebrate the success and their boy from Amalapuram being looked up to by young aspirants.
“More than watching Satwik clinch the championship it was more rejoicing seeing people including badminton aspirants celebrate his success. It was indeed a great achievement,” says R. Kasi Viswanatham, Satwik’s father, a retired physical education teacher.
Satwik (18) returned to Hyderabad on Monday and his parents Viswanatham and mother Rangamani, a teacher in Janupalli ZP High School near Amalapuram in East Godavari of the State, welcomed him at the airport. Mr. Viswanatham’s job as ET made Satwik develop interest in sports and badminton in particular when he was still a kid. “He used to skip school and come along with me to play badminton. That was where his liking for the sport began and he entered the main track at the age of 11 after winning the State level U-13 tourney in doubles in Kadapa,” says Mr. Viswanatham recalling how Satwik’s journey began.
Later, he joined the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in 2013 and after undergoing vigorous training he started winning medals in doubles and singles events in international tournaments.
Considering Satwik’s abilities, country’s chief national coach P. Gopi Chand expected Satwik to break into the main league of players in 2016 and he went on to become a part of the 10-member Indian mixed team that won gold in the Commonwealth Games (2018) held in Australia for the first time in history, he said. Satwik is the youngest son and has a brother.
Governor lauds Satwik
Meanwhile, there was no response to Satwik’s victory from the State government so far. He is entitled to ₹40 lakh cash prize announced by the previous government for winning Commonwealth title and a GO was also issued. His father, however, says that they are yet to receive the prize money. Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan congratulated Satwik on his success.
