PANAJI: Rising star of Indian badminton and world-ranked 69 in men’s singles, Priyanshu Rajawat is a role model for children taking to badminton in the country. The 20-year-old has taken the text-book route to achieving glory and looks hungry for more.
Priyanshu, who bagged the men’s singles title at the West Zone inter-state championship in Parbhani recently, provided valuable tips to Goan youngsters.
Watch the interaction with Priyanshu Rajawat by clicking 👇
“Playing with focus is the most basic requirement. While doing that, the youngsters must listen to their coaches. It is absolutely important to understand the instructions of the coach and the players should not use their own mind to interpret. One has to be mindful not to get carried away by victories. The feet should firmly be on the ground and the target should be on trying to maintain a run of wins.
“If a player loses; result shouldn’t matter, but it makes the ground for valuable learnings. The thought process should not be affected by a loss. One should always focus on achieving victory in the next match,” stated Priyanshu, who hails from Madhya Pradesh.
Priyanshu also revealed his share of sacrifices that have enabled him to scale the peak. “In order to achieve the goals, everybody have to make some sacrifice. When I was eight years old, I had to go away from my family. I thank my parents and coaches for all the support that has brought me to this level today,” he said.
Priyanshu recalled the thrilling and historic times of Thomas Cup success for India and how special the experience means to his learning curve.
“No one thought that we could win the Cup but we went the distance to clinch the title for first time. I was lucky to be a part of history. Moreover, the top shuttelrs of the world were in action and watching them was also a good learning experience. The key aspects like what constitutes their preparations, pre-match mindset and how they dealt with on-court situations,” elaborated Priyanshu, who urged the badminton fans to keep supporting him so that he can win medals for the country.
However it’s a fact that the most heartwarming and power-packed boost for sportspersons comes from Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. And Priyanshu feels the country is blessed, as he says: “We are very lucky to have Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister. Not every PM of the country will meet the sportspersons but Modi calls us even when we lose. I thank the PM and hope he continues to support all players. India will continue to win medals with such motivation.”
Among other engagements, Priyanshu’s next international outing will be the Yonex-Sunrise Vietnam Open 2022 from 27 September – 02 October.
