"Inspired countless young players": Kiren Rijiju recalls Saina Nehwal's legacy on her retirement from competitive badminton

New Delhi [India], January 21 (ANI): Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday said that the retirement of Badminton icon Saina Nehwal has brought the curtains down on an extraordinary chapter in Indian sport.

He hailed Nehwal's legacy and wished her success and happiness after her retirement.

"The retirement of Badminton icon @NSaina brings the curtain down on an extraordinary chapter in Indian sport. Through sheer grit, grace & fearless ambition, she put Indian badminton on the global map & inspired countless young players to dream big. Her legacy will continue to shape the future of the sport. Wishing her success & happiness ahead," Kiren Rijiju said in a post on X.

Olympic medallist Nehwal on January 20 confirmed her retirement from competitive badminton after being out of action for nearly two years due to a chronic knee condition.

"I had stopped playing two years back. I actually felt that I entered the sport on my own terms and left on my own terms, so there was no need to announce it," Saina Nehwal said in a podcast as quoted by Olympics.com.

The former World No. 1 revealed that the decision was taken after severe cartilage degeneration in her knees, which made sustained high-intensity training impossible.

The badminton player further added that her body could no longer cope with the demands of top-tier badminton.

"You train eight to nine hours to be the best in the world. Now my knee was giving up in one or two hours. It was swelling, and it became very tough to push after that. So I thought it was enough. I can't push it anymore," Nehwal revealed. (ANI)

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