Prakash Padukone
About
Prakash Padukone was ranked World number 1 in 1980, the same year he became the first Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Championship. He is one of the Co-founders of Olympic Gold Quest, a foundation dedicated to the promotion of Olympic sports in India.
Padukone served as the Chairman of the Badminton Association of India for a short time. He also served as the coach of the Indian National Badminton Team from 1993 to 1996.
After retirement, Padukone has sought to mentor budding young players and help them achieve their goals. He runs the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy. The academy imparts world-class training and coaching to young players who are selected to the Academy on merit. It has since its inception produced multiple national and international level champions.
He recently found a different sort of fame when a letter he wrote to his two daughters, one a Bollywood actress and another a golfer, went viral. The letter has now been included in the English curriculum of a school. In the letter he offers advice to his daughters, asking them to make sure that they love what they do in life, be game-changers and still understand that at the end of the day, it is family and friends that matter.
Awards and Accomplishments
Awards and Accomplishments
He was awarded the ‘Arjuna Award’ in 1972 and the ‘Padma Shri’ in 1982, making him one of the biggest stars in Indian sports history.
In 1978, he won his first major international title, the ‘Men’s Singles Gold Medal’ at the 1978 Commonwealth Games, post which he was unstoppable, winning the Danish Open, the Swedish Open and becoming the first Indian to win the ‘Men’s Singles’ title at the All England Championship.
Why Prakash Padukone ?
From practising in marriage halls to leading a rebellion against the then badminton federation – the legendary Prakash Padukone carved his own path and became an inspiration for many young sportsmen.
His incredible life story has been chronicled in the biography Touch Play, the book being only the second biography of any badminton player in the world, making him an inspiration for every winner.
