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Commonwealth Games gold medallist Parupalli Kashyap speaks to Harish Kotian/Rediff.com about his recent triumph over world No. 1 Chen Long of China and why he wants the Indian Badminton League to be revived.
Parupalli Kashyap narrowly missed out on a medal at the London Olympics in 2012, losing in the quarter-finals, but created history by becoming the only Indian male shuttler to reach the last-eight stage at the Games.
Since then the 28-year-old from Hyderabad has gone from strength to strength.
Last year, he made history by winning the gold medal in singles at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It made him only the third Indian to achieve the feat, after Prakash Padukone in 1978 and Syed Modi in 1982.
Earlier this month he hit another high when he beat the reigning World No. 1, Chen Long of China, at the Indonesian Super Series in Jakarta.
While his ultimate goal is winning an Olympic medal, something he hopes to achieve in Rio de Janeiro next year, Kashyap says, for now, he is not looking that far and focussed on the upcoming World Championships in August.
In an exclusive conversation with Harish Kotian/Rediff.com the shuttler discusses his recent win over world No. 1 Long and how he's been able to stay injury-free and consistent.
Tell us about your win over world No. 1 Chinese Chen Long at the Indonesian Premier Super Series in Jakarta. Would that rank as the biggest win of your career?
It was a very important win. I rate Chen Long as the best player in the world right now, because he has been so consistent.
With Lee Chong Wei being absent for so many months, Chen Long looked nearly unbeatable for a few tournaments. The way I lost to him in Malaysia I thought it was very tough against him.
Personally, I thought I could beat an opponent who I thought was unbeatable; that gave me a lot of confidence.
Was it disappointing that after beating Long you lost to eighth seed Momota Kento in the semi-finals. Would you say that was an opportunity missed to win your first Super Series title?
I was very, very upset and I took time to come out of it. I spoke to my coach, Gopi Sir [Pullela Gopichand], and a couple of senior players and colleagues and many discussions about that match happened.
Everyone was telling me about my stats -- that it was the seventh semi-final that I had lost and I was falling short of winning a Super Series title. It was very disappointing, but I learned a lot of things.
My coach told me to think about the positives that happened during the tournament, which included the victory over the world No. 1 and world No. 5 players. He told me not to think about the negatives and it was only in the last few minutes that I didn’t play well. He said to think about the positives and move on and I will definitely achieve a lot of things in the future.
Your coach, Pullela Gopichand, says you are starting to mature, understanding your body better and getting consistent. How would you explain the change in your game and preparation in recent years?
I would I say am understanding my body better and I am taking proper decisions about training. This has happened in the last few months. I have got injured so many times that I have realised that my body has certain limitations and I need to address them, need to take care of it and get the maximum of whatever I have. I need to focus on my strengths and take care of whatever weakness I have in my body because these are the really important things. I realised that if I make small changes and small improvements then, overall, it will lead to a big improvement.
In my training too I have become mature and have taken steps of having a physio and trainer which has been provided to be OGQ (Olympic Gold Quest) immediately.
Can you elaborate on OGQ's role in your development as a top-class player?
OGQ has been supporting me since 2010. I have been giving good performances at the major events. They expect me a lot from me. It’s very motivating that such an organisation, which has been set up by some of the top Indian athletes, has been supporting me.
The government is also helping me with funding, and all these people are part of a team which is helping me perform better.
In the London Olympics in 2012 you became the first Indian male player to reach the quarter-finals and were just a step away from an Olympic medal. Are you confident of bettering your performance in Rio Olympics next year?
It is my dream to win an Olympic medal. There is still a year to go and I need to qualify and maintain myself in the top 10. I have some immediate goals which I want to achieve first. If I keep being consistent then I am sure I will win the Olympic medal too.
Talking of maintaining yourself, how do you plan the next one year in the lead-up to the Olympics?
I can’t plan for the Olympics right now; maybe a couple of months before the Games I can start planning for it. Right now I am only looking to peak at the World Championships which is a couple of months away. I hope to maintain myself during the year, at least till December, as I have six Super Series events. That is the primary goal.
Before the major events I will see how my progress is until the Olympics and then I can plan on how to peak.
Peaking is important for a big event. I believe I have done it well in the big events in the past. I peaked well at the Commonwealth Games (2014), at the World Championships too and I will take care of the Olympics as well.
Two Indian players in the Top 10 of the latest men's rankings... K Srikanth, at third, and you, at tenth. In the women's, Sania Nehwal is second and P V Sindhu is 14th. Do you believe India can win a few medals in badminton at the Rio Games?
I hope so, too. Indian badminton is improving gradually and I hope it will continue to improve in the coming years too. We have very good, quality coaches. Chief coach Gopi Sir has put in a lot of effort for India to reach this level and I hope the system carries on.
The Indian Badminton League had a successful first season in 2013, but there is no news whether and when the second season will take place. With the IBL not being held, is it a big loss for Indian badminton?
It is a very big blow. I feel people have forgotten the teams, the players. It was a big thing for Indian badminton. The stadiums were packed and it was telecast very well. It became a popular event, but I don’t know what happened and what the issues are with the people organising it. I hope it starts again.
It is a big blow because the sport was reaching a good level, popularity-wise, in India. More people were watching the sport and we were becoming more popular. It is a big blow for me personally because I am peaking in my career and an event like this will really help me.
Saina Nehwal has scaled the No. 1 ranking in singles. Is it inspiring for other Indian players like you seeing your teammate climb to the top of the rankings and win so many laurels at the international level?
She inspires us a lot. Her work ethic, consistent performances in every event, is exemplary.
Even on her bad days she reaches the semi-finals of the world’s top events. She has never has days where she lost very badly in the first round or so. That is why her ranking is No. 1 or No. 2. Her consistency is very motivating for us.