Anupama clears Asian Games trials

Deepankar Sharda

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Panchkula, May 8

India’s top-ranked 18-year-old Anupama Upadhyaya has become the first shuttler not only from Panchkula district but also the entire Haryana state to be selected for the Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou (China) from September 23.

In March, the ace shuttler attained the top slot in the country in the women’s singles rankings of the Badminton Association of India (BAI). Anupama cleared the four-day selection trials at the Jwala Gutta Academy of Excellence in Hyderabad to book her berth in the Indian squad. She has been placed with her idol, PV Sindhu, Ashmita Chaliha (individual/team) and Malvika Bansod (team).

The 15-day Asian Games, shifted from 2022 to 2023 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will be her first-ever major international championship. “I am eagerly waiting to wear the Indian team blazer and to meet the Indian Prime Minister. This has come after nearly 10 years of handwork. I am going to make it a memorable moment,” said Anupama.

“My coach Rohit Mandhan, Haryana Badminton Association, and my father have played an important role in my overall development,” she said.

Anupama, who won her life’s first medal at the age of 9. Hailing from Almora (Uttarakhand), she started training under DK Sen (father of 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Lakshya Sen).