Tomar comes of age,makes the final for state championships

Tomar termed his win over the top seed as a big motivating factor to actually go all out for the coveted trophy in his debut at the state meet. Ask him how he feels and he shyly dismisses it saying,“I am feeling excited,what else can I say.”

Starting from the small town of Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh two years ago,the 14 year old Tomar shifted to Noida and joined coach Arvind Anand in order to get better training facilities and practice partners.

“My brother wanted me to play some game and racquet sports have always interested me. I first took up tennis but had to quit because of certain reasons,then shifted to badminton. Being in Noida has helped me and all credit goes to Prayush bhaiya. I have improved so much and advanced so far only because of his support and help. He has now helped me join as a trainee under former national champion Vikram Bisht in Delhi,where I have been training for three weeks,” says Tomar.

Maiden venture

In July,Tomar made the main draws of the All India sub-junior ranking tournament in Bangalore,his maiden competition. Though he couldn’t qualify for the knockouts stages,playing in the main draw against much higher-ranked players was certainly a learning experience for Tomar.

Having reached the finals now at the Delhi state meet,Tomar hopes to capitalise on his experience,though he knows he will have to prove his worth in the rankings tournament starting September 9.

“I know this win will not change my status in terms of seeding but I am prepared for the next one also. If I win here,it will certainly help me mentally going in for the next championships,” he said. Besides badminton,the class X student is also a talented singer and dancer and regularly participates in his school competitions.