Parupalli Kashyap

Parupalli Kashyap
Personal information
Birth nameParupalli Kashyap
CountryIndia
Born (1986-09-08) 8 September 1986 (age 38)
Hyderabad, India
ResidenceHyderabad, India
Height1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight65
HandednessRight
CoachPullela Gopichand
Men's singles
Career record301 wins, 230 losses
Highest ranking6 (25 April 2013)
Current ranking95 (2 May 2023)
Medal record
Men's badminton
Representing  India
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2014 Glasgow Men's singles
Silver medal – second place 2010 New Delhi Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2010 New Delhi Men's singles
Asia Team Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Hyderabad Men's team
BWF profile

Parupalli Kashyap (born 8 September 1986) is an Indian badminton player. A former World No.6, he trains at Gopichand Badminton Academy. He was awarded the Arjuna Award by the Government of India in 2012.[1][2]

He created history by reaching the quarter-finals of men's singles at the 2012 London Olympics, being the first male player from India to do so. At the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, he won the gold medal in men's singles. Kashyap was the Icon Player for the Indian Badminton League team, Banga Beats in the 2013 edition.

He married Indian women badminton player, Saina Nehwal in a private ceremony on 14 December 2018.[3]

Early life (1997–2004)

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Born to Uday Shankar and Subhadra of Guntur,[2] as an 11-year-old, Kashyap Parupalli first enrolled with a training camp conducted by S. M. Arif in Hyderabad, India. Because his father had a transferable job, their family kept moving frequently. While in Bangalore, he joined the Padukone Academy. In 2004, they moved back to Hyderabad. Soon after, Kashyap was diagnosed with asthma after a few medical tests.[4] Kashyap felt that his stay in Bangalore during 2000–03 might have aggravated the condition. Though the diagnosis came as a shock to him and he thought that his playing career was finished, he put in a lot of effort with determination to overcome the problem.[5] Using appropriate medication, his condition began to improve dramatically. He continued his training at the Gopichand Academy under Pullela Gopichand, a former All England Open champion.[4]

Professional career

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2005–2009

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In 2005, Kashyap represented Andhra Pradesh and won the a boys' singles title at the National Junior Open Badminton Championships.[6] From 2006 onwards, he started to appear at international tournaments. In that year's Hong Kong Open, he caused an upset by defeating the then world number 19 Przemysław Wacha in the pre-quarterfinals; he lost the next round though.[7] A few months later, he defeated Wacha again at the Bitburger Open to reach the semifinals. In 2006, his world ranking improved from outside the 100 to 64. Coach Gopichand was happy at the win and felt that it was a good sign that Kashyap was winning his important matches against higher-ranked players.[8] In the same year, Kashyap was chosen to represent India at the 2006 Asian Games.[9] At the 33rd National Games, Kashyap defeated the then National champion Chetan Anand to win a gold medal for Andhra Pradesh.[10] Between 2006–07, Kashyap won a few national tournaments as well.[11][12]

In 2009, Kashyap was a semifinalist at the Dutch Open and the 2009 Senior National Badminton Championships.[13] In the same year, he was the runners-up at the Thailand International,[14] Spanish Open and Toulouse Open.[15] At the 2009 Singapore Super Series, Kashyap was the semifinalist.[16]

2010 Commonwealth Games

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At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, he reached the semifinals stage but lost to Rajiv Ouseph of England. He won the bronze medal against chetan Anand.[17] He also played a crucial role in India winning a silver medal in the Team Event of 2010 Commonwealth Games

Kashyap (centre) at the presentation ceremony, Commonwealth Games-2010

He also reached the semi-finals at the 2010 Indian Open Grand Prix Gold[18] where he lost out to compatriot Gurusai Datt. He lost out to Arvind Bhat in the finals of the 75th Senior National Badminton Championship held at Rohtak in 2011.[19]

Kashyap reached the semifinal stage of 2012 Djaram Indonesia Open in the men's singles competition, where he eventually lost. En route to the semifinals, he upset world number 3 Chen Long and world number 16 Hans-Kristian Vittinghus.[20]

2012 Summer Olympics

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Kashyap and his coach Pullela Gopichand at the 2012 Summer Olympics

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Kashyap surprised one and all by winning all his matches at the group stage, which involved the shocking defeat of Nguyễn Tiến Minh. In the Pre-quarters he defeated Niluka Karunaratne of Sri Lanka by 21–16, 15–21, 21–14. In the Quarterfinals, it was disappointment as a dejected looking Kashyap was escorted out of the court after his loss to top seed Lee Chong Wei in straight sets. In the process, he created history by becoming the only Indian to reach the Quarterfinal stages in the Olympics in Men's Singles.[21] This achievement led him to 19th rank.[22]

Later his victory in the Indian Open Grand Prix Gold 2012 led him to a career best ranking of 14.[23] His success in Korea in 2013 led his rank up to 10.On 31 January 2013 he achieved a ranking of 9.[24] He reached the quarterfinals in the Swiss open which led him to a ranking of 7 as per the rankings provided by BWF on 14 March. He moved up to a career best ranking of 6 after his first round match against Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia.[25]

2014

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Recovering from a couple of "freak injuries", Kashyap started the year winning the first round match against Germany's Marc Zwiebler in Malaysia Open but he lost in the very next round to the number 3 seed Jan O Jorgensen. In the Indian Open Grand Prix gold Tournament also his performance was not very satisfactory as the defending champion lost in the quarterfinals to Zulfadli Zulkiffli. Kashyap's ranking was declining steadily until he reached the Semifinal stages of the 2014 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold.

One of the biggest victories for Kashyap came in the 2014 India Super Series when he beat the Chinese world number 6 Wang Zhengming, 12–21 21–17 12–21. He extended Indian hopes till the Quarterfinals where he lost out to top seed Lee Chong Wei. The 2014 Commonwealth Games was a halt to a steady decline in form for Kashyap as he lost almost all the subsequent matches after his home tournament. But there was more disappointment waiting for Kashyap as he lost in the very first round of 2014 BWF World Championships to Dieter Domke. Even in Asian Games 2014 he was a huge disappointment as he lost in the second round. He was widely criticized for not showing good fighting spirit in his second round match against top seed Lee Chong Wei which was quite uncharacteristic of Kashyap.

Despite all these disappointing losses, Kashyap managed to return to form in the 2014 Denmark Super Series Premier where he reached the semifinal stages. En route to the Semifinals, he upset world number 3 Jan Ø. Jørgensen his second win against the Dane. In the very next tournament that he played, he beat world number 4, Kenichi Tago and world number 9, Tian Houwei in consecutive rounds thus reaching the quarterfinals of 2014 French Super Series. He continued his great form in the 2014 China Open Super Series Premier where he reached the Quarterfinal stages. Back to back quarterfinal appearances in Superseries Events helped Kashyap to jump up in the Destination Dubai rankings, but unfortunately another first round loss in the 2014 Hong Kong Super Series saw Kashyap drop from 11 in the Destination Dubai ranking to 14.

2014 Commonwealth Games

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Kashyap was seeded second at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. As expected Kashyap crashed into the Men's Singles finals. His route to the final was not easy. In the Semifinal match against Rajiv Ouseph of England, he played out of his skin to avenge his loss in the 2010 Commonwealth Games semifinal and also in the mixed team event, where India eventually finished in the fourth position. In the finals, in intense three games he defeated Derek Wong of Singapore 21–14, 11–21, 21–19 and thus won a historic gold medal for India.[26] The gold medal in men's singles came after a long wait of 32 years, allowing Kashyap to see his name written amongst two legends of Indian Badminton who were also former gold medalists in the same event, Prakash Padukone in 1978, followed by Syed Modi in 1982.[27][28]

2015

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Despite promising nothing lesser than a podium finish, Kashyap started the year on a disappointing note, losing out to Derek Wong in the pre-quarters of 2015 Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold. But it was a completely different story at the India Open Grand Prix Gold 2015 where Kashyap defeated compatriot Srikanth Kidambi 23–21, 23–21 in an intense final. However, the real challenge of the tournament was from Viktor Axelsen in the semi-finals, where Kashyap was made to sweat before Axelsen ran out of steam and surrendered the match 18–21, 22–20, 21–7 to Kashyap. Kashyap's woes continued in the Superseries events as he lost out in the first round of the 2015 All England Super Series Premier. In his home Superseries event too Kashyap failed to reach the quarterfinals, bowing out to Xue Song of China in straight games in the pre-quarters.

2016

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Kashyap failed to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

2018

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Kashyap failed to get a spot in the team for 2018 Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

2020–Present

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Kashyap failed to qualify for the 2020 Olympics, thus missing out on qualifying for 2 consecutive Olympics. He was not selected in the team for the 2021 Sudirman Cup and the 2021 Thomas Cup. He retired 0-3 down to Chou Tien-chen in the 1st round of the 2021 Denmark Open. His run of 1st round exits continued with 1st round exits in the 2021 French Open (badminton), the 2021 Indonesia Masters (losing to Hans-Kristian Vittinghus 10-21, 19-21) and the 2021 Indonesia Open (losing to Loh Kean Yew 11-21, 14-21).

Achievements

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Commonwealth Games

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Men's singles

Year Venue Opponent Score Result
2010 Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi, India India Chetan Anand 21–15, 21–18 Bronze Bronze
2014 Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland Singapore Derek Wong 21–14, 11–21, 21–19 Gold Gold

BWF World Tour (1 runner-up)

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The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[29] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.[30]

Men's singles

Year Tournament Level Opponent Score Result
2019 Canada Open Super 100 China Li Shifeng 22–20, 14–21, 17–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up

BWF Grand Prix (2 titles, 1 runner-up)

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The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.

Men's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2012 India Grand Prix Gold Thailand Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 21–9, 14–21, 21–17 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2015 Syed Modi International India Srikanth Kidambi 23–21, 23–21 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
2017 U. S. Open India H. S. Prannoy 15–21, 22–20, 12–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
  BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
  BWF Grand Prix tournament

BWF International Challenge/Series (1 title, 3 runners-up)

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Men's singles

Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
2009 Smiling Fish International Thailand Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk 21–23, 14–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2009 Spanish International Denmark Hans-Kristian Vittinghus 10–21, 16–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2009 Le Volant d'Or de Toulouse England Rajiv Ouseph 11–21, 12–21 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
2018 Austrian International Malaysia Cheam June Wei 23–21, 21–14 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
  BWF International Challenge tournament
  BWF International Series tournament

Performance in Super Series events

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Year Tournament Result
2010 2010 Singapore Super Series Semi-Final
2014 and 2012 2014 China Open Super Series Premier Quarterfinal
2014 2014 French Super Series Quarterfinal
2014 2014 Denmark Super Series Premier Semi-Final
2013 2013 All England Super Series Premier Quarterfinal
2012 2012 Indonesia Super Series Premier Semi-Final
2012, 2019 2012 India Super Series Semi-Final
2015, 2014 and 2013 Malaysia Open Superseries Premier Pre-Quarters

Awards, rewards and recognition

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For the gold medal at 2014 Commonwealth Games

Record against selected opponents

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Record against year-end Finals finalists, World Championships semi finalists, and Olympic quarter finalists. Accurate as of 29 November 2022.[33]

References

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  1. ^ "Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Arjuna Awards Announced". Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. 19 August 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Making of a champion". The Hindu. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  3. ^ "Match of the year: Saina ties the knot with Kashyap". Rediff. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  4. ^ a b Sukumar, Dev S (3 August 2009). "Impossible is nothing". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  5. ^ M, Ratnakar (4 October 2010). "Despite asthma, Kashyap emerges best medal bet". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  6. ^ "Kashyap, Saina emerge best". Rediff.com. 2 December 2005. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  7. ^ "Kashyap pulls off a major upset". The Hindu. 31 August 2006. Archived from the original on 11 November 2007. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  8. ^ "Kashyap stuns Wacha, reaches semis". The Times of India. 28 October 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  9. ^ "Chetan, Jwala pull out of camp". The Hindu. 16 October 2006. Archived from the original on 29 October 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  10. ^ "Big triumph for Kashyap". The Hindu. 19 February 2007. Archived from the original on 22 February 2007. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  11. ^ "Kashyap, Aditi corner glory". The Hindu. 13 December 2007. Archived from the original on 15 December 2007. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  12. ^ "Kashyap and Saina reign supreme". The Hindu. 16 October 2006. Archived from the original on 29 October 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  13. ^ "Indore: Arvind Bhat Claims National Badminton Title". Daijiworld. 19 February 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  14. ^ "Kashyap falters". The Telegraph. 4 May 2009. Archived from the original on 8 May 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  15. ^ "Kashyap falters in the final". The Hindu. 2 June 2009. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  16. ^ Naik, Shivani (23 June 2010). "Tough first match as Saina seeks third straight title". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 10 October 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  17. ^ "Kashyap wins bronze for India in badminton". The Times of India. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  18. ^ "Kashyap in semis of Indian Open Grand Prix". 17 December 2010.
  19. ^ "Arvind, Aditi win National Badminton Championship". Deccan Herald. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  20. ^ "Olympic-bound Saina Nehwal, P Kashyap reach semifinals of Indonesian Open". The Times of India. 15 June 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013.
  21. ^ "Parupalli Kashyap creates history by reaching quarters at London Olympics – The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  22. ^ "Kashyap leads Indian challenge in China Masters". The Hindu. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  23. ^ "Kashyap reaches career-best ranking after title win". The Hindu. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  24. ^ Shuttler Saina Nehwal retains World No.2 spot NDTV. 31 January, 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  25. ^ "Kashyap becomes world No.6". The Hindu. 25 April 2013.
  26. ^ "Men's Singles Gold Medal Match". Glasgow 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  27. ^ "Glasgow 2014: P Kashyap enters into men's singles final, Sindhu lost in semifinal". Patrika Group. No. 2 August 2014. Archived from the original on 4 August 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  28. ^ "CWG 2014: Shuttler Parupalli Kashyap wins men's singles gold". The Times of India. 3 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  29. ^ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  30. ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  31. ^ parupalli-kashyap-awarded-rs-25-lakh-by-bai
  32. ^ "Chandrashekhar Rao announces Sports City". 7 August 2014.
  33. ^ "Kashyap Parupalli Head to Head". bwf.tournamentsoftware.com. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
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