India’s own golden child – Saina Nehwal, did her country proud when she bagged a bronze medal in Badminton at the 2012 Olympics held at London. In doing so, she also became the very first Indian to win a medal of any kind, in Badminton, at the Olympics. Much kudos to the little girl from Haryana who fought tooth and nail, pushing herself beyond the limits, to not just be an Olympic medalist, but also the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships, by the age of 22years.

No one deserves the medals as much as Saina Nehwal for her sheer dedication, hard work and raw talent. As described and praised by her mentor and coach, Pullela Gopichand, the badminton player, she truly is a fighter. Saina grew strong in spite of having to face defeat at the hands of as many as eleven players, and continued to focus on the positive elements to achieve what she has and get where she is now. She would train day in and day out, avoid the hullabaloos of the endorsement deals and press conferences, focusing on what is most important- the practice sessions. While other sports celebrities are busy enhancing their public image in whatever ways possible, even if their on-filed performances are tanking by the day, Saina pays no heed to unnecessary temptations. Gopichand expresses his joy at his protégé’s success, and admits that he lives vicariously through her accomplishments.

As a true testament to the legend that she has already become, T. S. Sudhir- former NDTV editor and journalist, has penned down a biography on Saina Nehwal profile. The book, panning over 117 pages, is a glimpse of Saina’s past, her transition from a nine year old who was motivated to enter the field of badminton by her parents- who themselves were quality badminton players, to a twenty two year old ace prolific shuttler. She states her father and her coach as the two people that she admires most in her life. Following the footsteps of cricketers, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar, Saina heroically flew the Kiran MK II jet trainer aircraft of the Indian Air Force in Dundigal, Andhra Pradesh on 28th September 2012. Her efforts and endeavours have paid off and have helped her hit the pay dirt. She is credited as the highest paid India non-cricket oriented athlete. With an eye on the distant Olympic future, India waits for a gold medal to be annexed in to Saina Nehwal statistics.