Rupinder 2nd from UT to shuttle into junior Indian team

“It feels nice to represent Chandigarh at the international event and also to know that the coaches and selectors have shown so much faith in me,” said Rupinder.

At 16,with two gold medals and one silver in international tournaments,three national golds in the sub-junior category and an equally impressive record at the junior level,Rupinder has done enough to prove that he has the Midas touch and the talent to scorch the wooden court.

Ai Wei Jian,the Malaysian top seed in the junior international badminton championship in Pune last year,would vouch for that when he was shown the exit by Rupinder.

“In the last three years,I got the chance to play in lots of international tournaments. Last year,I took part in the Indonesia international tournament and it was an eye-opener for me. I am a much improved player now but there are many grounds to cover,” Rupinder,who was declared best player of the tournament in the 23rd International Badminton Youth Team Tournament for the Zentiva Cup in the Czech Republic,shared.

The journey he started from a modest wooden court at the age of nine in 2004,has currently stopped at the sprawling BBD UP Badminton Academy in Lucknow,where he will attend the camp for the coming international tournaments from February 14. The journey,his coach Surinder Mahajan said,has still many more milestones to cover.

“Rupinder Pal is the best trainee we have right now. He is young,talented and his performance at the national level has been impressive in recent times. After his 10+2 exams,we will work on his game and I am sure he will bring more laurels to the country,” said the SAI coach. Rupinder is a student of Shivalik Public School,Sector 41,Chandigarh.