India's 2008 Olympic campaign in Beijing can be described as a watershed moment in the country's sporting history. In Beijing, the world got a glimpse of Saina Nehwal at a major sporting event for the first time. The Games also saw Abhinav Bindra spectacularly collect a gold in the 10 metre air rifle.
In her quarterfinal clash in the Chinese capital, Nehwal played some of her best badminton and looked well on her way to clinch a semifinal berth. In the final set against her Indonesian opponent Maria Yulianti, she led 11-3, but frittered away the advantage and lost. Had she won, she would have got two attempts at winning a medal, and India might have ended up winning four medals at the Games. Sushil Kumar and Vijender Singh were the other medallists for India in 2008. Still, the Beijing Games were a huge improvement for a country that had never before won three or more medals at a single Olympic Games.
Nehwal's performance also showed how India could make its presence felt in a sport that was for so long dominated by the Chinese. The belief only grew stronger when she, within two years of the disappointment in Beijing, went on to memorably win gold at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games in front of a delirious home crowd. The same year, following a string of good performances in major events, she rose to number two in the world.
But her best was yet to come. In London two years later, Nehwal won India's first ever Olympic medal in the sport. The London Games were a massive success for India, with the country clinching an unprecedented six medals. What has happened to Indian badminton since has been nothing short of remarkable. Nehwal has been at the forefront of a badminton revolution in the country. She entered a Chinese-dominated sport and made other Indian shuttlers believe that beating the best was indeed possible.
The 25-year-old looks very well poised for the Rio De Janeiro Games next year. Her impressive run of form saw her climb to the top of the world rankings in March this year. Nehwal will be among India's biggest medal hopes in Rio. But some of her fellow teammates will also be in the fray. P V Sindhu, the only Indian to win a medal at the World Badminton Championships on two occasions (2013 and 2014), will be in the hunt. The men's game has also seen an upswing in the last couple of years, with Parupalli Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth leading the charge. Srikanth, in fact, after a strong period of growth, reached a career high world ranking of three earlier this year.
However, in spite of the impressive results, there is plenty that still needs to be done. Nehwal's rise to number one in the world has been far from undisputed. While it could be argued that there has been a sustained improvement in her battles with the top Chinese players, she has found a new rival in Spain's Carolina Marin. The 22-year-old left-hander from Huelva has had a terrific 2015, resoundingly beating Nehwal in the final of two major tournaments in - The All England Championships and the World Championships. The Spaniard will be one of the biggest threats for Nehwal heading into Rio.
Even in the case of Sindhu, who has spent much of the year on the sidelines with injury, expectations should be realistic. There is no doubt though that she is a "big-tournament" player, because of her exploits in the World Championships over the past three years (even this year she beat former world number 1 Li Xuerui in the Round of 16 before crashing out in the quarterfinals). Having said that, consistency remains a major problem. But she is only 20 and will only get better as we get closer to Rio.
All-in-all though, Indian badminton finds itself in a very strong position. There are now several medal contenders in a sport that had only one medal hopeful in London. In a country where success in the sport has often been an individual spark - Prakash Padukone or Pullela Gopichand being prime examples - the present depth is a fair indication of the progress we've made. India now can be viewed as a world power in the sport of badminton.
The author is a sports management professional
In her quarterfinal clash in the Chinese capital, Nehwal played some of her best badminton and looked well on her way to clinch a semifinal berth. In the final set against her Indonesian opponent Maria Yulianti, she led 11-3, but frittered away the advantage and lost. Had she won, she would have got two attempts at winning a medal, and India might have ended up winning four medals at the Games. Sushil Kumar and Vijender Singh were the other medallists for India in 2008. Still, the Beijing Games were a huge improvement for a country that had never before won three or more medals at a single Olympic Games.
Nehwal's performance also showed how India could make its presence felt in a sport that was for so long dominated by the Chinese. The belief only grew stronger when she, within two years of the disappointment in Beijing, went on to memorably win gold at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games in front of a delirious home crowd. The same year, following a string of good performances in major events, she rose to number two in the world.
But her best was yet to come. In London two years later, Nehwal won India's first ever Olympic medal in the sport. The London Games were a massive success for India, with the country clinching an unprecedented six medals. What has happened to Indian badminton since has been nothing short of remarkable. Nehwal has been at the forefront of a badminton revolution in the country. She entered a Chinese-dominated sport and made other Indian shuttlers believe that beating the best was indeed possible.
The 25-year-old looks very well poised for the Rio De Janeiro Games next year. Her impressive run of form saw her climb to the top of the world rankings in March this year. Nehwal will be among India's biggest medal hopes in Rio. But some of her fellow teammates will also be in the fray. P V Sindhu, the only Indian to win a medal at the World Badminton Championships on two occasions (2013 and 2014), will be in the hunt. The men's game has also seen an upswing in the last couple of years, with Parupalli Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth leading the charge. Srikanth, in fact, after a strong period of growth, reached a career high world ranking of three earlier this year.
However, in spite of the impressive results, there is plenty that still needs to be done. Nehwal's rise to number one in the world has been far from undisputed. While it could be argued that there has been a sustained improvement in her battles with the top Chinese players, she has found a new rival in Spain's Carolina Marin. The 22-year-old left-hander from Huelva has had a terrific 2015, resoundingly beating Nehwal in the final of two major tournaments in - The All England Championships and the World Championships. The Spaniard will be one of the biggest threats for Nehwal heading into Rio.
Even in the case of Sindhu, who has spent much of the year on the sidelines with injury, expectations should be realistic. There is no doubt though that she is a "big-tournament" player, because of her exploits in the World Championships over the past three years (even this year she beat former world number 1 Li Xuerui in the Round of 16 before crashing out in the quarterfinals). Having said that, consistency remains a major problem. But she is only 20 and will only get better as we get closer to Rio.
All-in-all though, Indian badminton finds itself in a very strong position. There are now several medal contenders in a sport that had only one medal hopeful in London. In a country where success in the sport has often been an individual spark - Prakash Padukone or Pullela Gopichand being prime examples - the present depth is a fair indication of the progress we've made. India now can be viewed as a world power in the sport of badminton.
The author is a sports management professional