Badminton News: Preparing for the Asian Games, Indian badminton coach RMV Gurusaidutt believes his country has the “best chance” of winning a gold medal in the men’s team event in Hangzhou.

India won the Thomas Cup in May last year.

“We are Thomas Cup champions and we have the best chance of going that far. But it depends on the day and the match, and also how the momentum changes in the team events… it depends on a lot of fundamentals,” Guru said.

“Everyone played at the highest level, everyone performed well on the tour. It’s great to see us ranked fourth, so we have a chance to beat anyone. The preparations are good, all we have to do is get ready.

From chasing an Asian Games medal as a player to guiding India’s top players as a coach in this quadrennial extravaganza, the former Commonwealth Games bronze medalist has come a long way. course.

The 33-year-old from Hyderabad, who featured in two Asian Games in 2010 and 2014, found his calling as a coach after retiring as a player in June last year.

In a short span of time, Guru trained people like HS Prannoy and Priyanshu Rajawat at the Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad. He will be one of the coaches who will visit the Chinese city for the 19th Asian Games.

“Since I started coaching, the process has been pretty quick. The timing is good for me. I quit and immediately joined the national camp as a coach,” Guru, a bronze medalist at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, told PTI in a conversation.

“I got the opportunity and thanks to Gopi bhaiyya because he believed in me. I learned a lot as a player and people supported my experience.

Guru, a finalist in the 2010 Indian Open Grand Prix, is currently training players at a camp, with special focus on Prannoy, Rajawat and Srikanth, who started training there before the World Championships.

“The senior players give me a lot of respect and freedom to let me be myself and use my mind. I was a little lucky to have this opportunity and I know I haven’t been coaching for more than a year and a half, but I’m not surprised.

Guru served as coach when Prannoy won the Malaysia Masters title and reached the final of the Australian Open. He was also present alongside Gopichand at the World Championships in Copenhagen, where Prannoy won his first bronze medal.

“I didn’t expect everything to happen so quickly, I mean, I would go to the World Championships or I would win the Malaysia Masters, but I still stick to my thought process,” said the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games gold medalist.

“I also learned a lot in the last 6-8 months: how to understand a player, his state of mind, what I can do in this situation.”

“In the last three tournaments, I was lucky to have Gopi bhaiyya by my side and I discovered that I think what he thinks and that I can also take my calls spontaneously. I failed too, but there is more than just a positive side. I like this.”

Just like a gambler, Guru says the emphasis is on each round.

“I want these Asian Games to be treated like the Super 1000 or Super 500. I know medals are important and we are all training for the last day but there is still a long way to go. So I will focus on the first round,” he said.

Article Tag: Asian Games 2023, kidambi srikanth, satwiksairaj renkireddy