‘Have a good chance of making my country proud at Tokyo Olympics,’ believes ace shuttler Sai Praneeth

‘Have a good chance of making my country proud at Tokyo Olympics,’ believes ace shuttler Sai Praneeth

B Sai Praneeth

Top Indian badminton player Sai Praneeth is one of the four shuttlers set to represent the nation at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The 28-year old currently holds the 15th position in the BWF rankings for the men’s singles category. 

Recently, the World Championships bronze-medallist mentioned that every athlete dreams of participating and winning a medal in the Olympics. The Tokyo-bound shuttler also looked confident of making India proud at the multi-nation tournament.

“Playing at the Olympics and winning a medal is every athlete’s dream. I’m working hard every day and I think I have a good chance of making my country proud in Tokyo,” Praneeth said in a video posted by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

FS Video

‘My willpower has gotten stronger over the years’: Sai Praneeth

Sai Praneeth
Credits:Twitter| Sai Praneeth

The Hyderabad-born asserted that the Indian contingent has a lot of talented players who are expected to do well in Tokyo, Japan. Praneeth also praised the grit and hard work of all the athletes who have been training rigorously despite fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I wish everyone all the best for the Tokyo Olympics. India has a lot of talent in store, and we have a number of talented coaches too. It is commendable how all of us have been fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and training rigorously to be at the top of our game despite health concerns. We will try our best to win medals for the country.”

Sai Praneeth is the lone Indian shuttler to qualify for the men’s singles event at the Tokyo Olympic Games. He is currently placed at the 13th position with 51,527 points in the race to Olympics rankings. The Arjuna Awardee has come a long way in the past five years since the Rio Games. Sai pointed out that he has learnt a lot from the sport and got better every year.

“I have learnt a lot from the sport. My willpower has gotten stronger over the years. It has made me strong both physically and mentally. It has taught me to accept failures, move on, and become stronger than ever,” he added.

Also Read | ‘Attack is my strong point, working on my defence as well,’ says Tokyo-bound shuttler PV Sindhu

Also Read | Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth officially ruled out of Tokyo Olympics qualification race