With every point exhibiting his drive to succeed, Srikanth Kidambi, a humble farmer's son, rallied his way to the big leagues. A Padma Shri and an Arjuna Awardee, whose contribution to the progress of Indian Badminton has played a pivotal role. And he's not done yet.
Srikanth has several titles to his name, including a silver medal at the World Championship in the men's single category, making him the first Indian to have achieved this feat. He is also the first Indian player to win back-to-back Super Series titles.
While his records and titles show a glorious career, it wouldn't have been possible for Srikanth to have shuttled his way to the top without his parents Mukunda Kidambi and KVS Krishna who supported his decisions on and off-court.
But Srikanth did not find his footing right from the first serve. He's had his share of ups and downs. The turning point was when he and his brother Nandagopal, also a badminton player, enrolled in the Gopichand Academy.
He trained tirelessly under Gopichand's vision and made it big. In Gopichand's words, "Srikanth has a good range of strokes that makes him very good at the end-points, but he needs to cut down errors to remain consistent."
Although, it wasn't smooth sailing all the way. In 2016, Srikanth suffered an ankle injury which saw him sit on the side-lines. Itching to get back on the court, Srikanth showcased a fighting spirit and bounced back, as he went on to win back-to-back Super Series titles in 2017. He bagged the World #1 title at the BWF rankings in 2018.
With a lot of persistence and sheer hard work, Srikanth has managed to etch his name in the world of Badminton. And most of it was made possible by the people who pushed him to go further. That, for us, is the power of human potential multiplied.
