Parupalli Kashyap facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Parupalli Kashyap |
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| Personal information | |
| Birth name | Parupalli Kashyap |
| Born | 8 September 1986 Hyderabad, India |
| Residence | Hyderabad, India |
| Height | 1.71 m |
| Weight | 65 |
| Country | India |
| Handedness | Right |
| Men's singles | |
| Highest Ranking | 6 (25 April 2013) |
| Current Ranking | 95 (2 May 2023) |
Parupalli Kashyap (born September 8, 1986) is a famous Indian badminton player who has now retired. He was once ranked among the top 6 players in the world! Today, he works as a coach at the Gopichand Badminton Academy. In 2012, he received the Arjuna Award, which is a big honor for athletes in India.
Kashyap made history at the 2012 London Olympics. He was the first Indian male player to reach the quarter-finals in men's singles. Later, at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, he won a gold medal in men's singles. He was also a key player for the Indian Badminton League team, Banga Beats, in 2013.
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Kashyap's Early Life
Parupalli Kashyap was born in Hyderabad, India. His parents are Uday Shankar and Subhadra. When he was 11, Kashyap started training at a badminton camp. It was led by S. M. Arif in Hyderabad.
His family moved often because of his father's job. While living in Bangalore, he joined the Padukone Academy. In 2004, they moved back to Hyderabad. Soon after, Kashyap found out he had asthma. He thought his badminton career might be over. But he worked very hard to get better. With the right medicine, his health improved a lot. He kept training at the Gopichand Academy. His coach was Pullela Gopichand, a famous former badminton champion.
Personal Life
Parupalli Kashyap married another famous Indian badminton player, Saina Nehwal. They had a private wedding ceremony on December 14, 2018.
His Badminton Career
Starting Out (2005–2009)
In 2005, Kashyap won a boys' singles title. This was at the National Junior Open Badminton Championships. He was representing Andhra Pradesh state. From 2006, he began playing in international tournaments. At the Hong Kong Open that year, he surprised everyone. He beat Przemysław Wacha, who was ranked 19th in the world.
A few months later, he beat Wacha again at the Bitburger Open. This helped him reach the semifinals. In 2006, his world ranking jumped from outside the top 100 to 64. His coach, Gopichand, was very happy. He saw it as a good sign that Kashyap could win against higher-ranked players. Kashyap also played for India at the 2006 Asian Games. He won a gold medal for Andhra Pradesh at the 33rd National Games. He beat the national champion, Chetan Anand.
In 2009, Kashyap reached the semifinals at the Dutch Open. He also made it to the finals in several other tournaments. These included the Thailand International, Spanish Open, and Toulouse Open. He also reached the semifinals at the Singapore Super Series.
Commonwealth Games Success (2010)
At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Kashyap reached the semifinals. He won a bronze medal by beating Chetan Anand. He also helped India win a silver medal in the team event.
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He also reached the semifinals at the 2010 India Open Grand Prix Gold. In 2011, he lost to Arvind Bhat in the finals of the 75th Senior National Badminton Championship. In 2012, Kashyap reached the semifinals of the 2012 Indonesia Super Series Premier. On his way, he defeated world number 3 Chen Long.
London Olympics (2012)
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Kashyap surprised everyone. He won all his matches in the group stage. This included a big win against Nguyễn Tiến Minh. He then beat Niluka Karunaratne of Sri Lanka. In the quarter-finals, he lost to the top player, Lee Chong Wei. Even though he lost, Kashyap made history. He became the only Indian male player to reach the quarter-finals in badminton at the Olympics. This achievement helped him reach the 19th world rank.
After winning the Indian Open Grand Prix Gold 2012, his ranking rose to 14. In 2013, his success in Korea pushed him to rank 10. By January 31, 2013, he reached rank 9. After reaching the quarterfinals in the Swiss Open, his rank went up to 7. He then reached his best-ever ranking of 6.
Commonwealth Games Gold (2014)
After some injuries, Kashyap started 2014 by winning a match at the Malaysia Open. He then lost in the next round. At the Indian Open Grand Prix Gold, he lost in the quarterfinals. His ranking was going down until he reached the semifinals of the 2014 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold.
A big win for Kashyap came at the 2014 India Super Series. He beat China's world number 6 Wang Zhengming. He reached the quarterfinals but then lost to Lee Chong Wei. The 2014 Commonwealth Games helped him get back on track. He had been losing many matches before this. However, he lost in the first round of the 2014 BWF World Championships. He also had a disappointing performance at the Asian Games 2014.
Despite these losses, Kashyap found his form again. He reached the semifinals of the 2014 Denmark Super Series Premier. He beat world number 3 Jan Ø. Jørgensen there. In his next tournament, he beat world number 4, Kenichi Tago. He also beat world number 9, Tian Houwei. This helped him reach the quarterfinals of the 2014 French Super Series. He continued his good play at the 2014 China Open Super Series Premier.
Winning Gold at Commonwealth Games
Kashyap was the second-seeded player at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He made it to the men's singles finals. His path to the final was tough. In the semifinal, he beat Rajiv Ouseph of England. This was revenge for his loss in the 2010 Commonwealth Games. In the final, he won a thrilling three-game match. He defeated Derek Wong of Singapore 21–14, 11–21, 21–19. This was a historic gold medal for India. It was the first men's singles gold in 32 years. Kashyap joined legends like Prakash Padukone (1978) and Syed Modi (1982).
Later Career (2015–Present)
Kashyap had a tough start to 2015. He lost early at the 2015 Malaysia Open Grand Prix Gold. However, he won the India Open Grand Prix Gold 2015. He beat fellow Indian player Srikanth Kidambi in a close final. He also faced a big challenge from Viktor Axelsen in the semifinals. Kashyap then lost in the first round of the 2015 All England Super Series Premier. He also failed to reach the quarterfinals at his home Superseries event.
Kashyap did not qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. In 2018, he also missed out on spots for the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. He failed to qualify for the 2020 Olympics as well. This meant he missed two Olympics in a row. He also wasn't chosen for the 2021 Sudirman Cup and Thomas Cup teams. He retired from a match at the 2021 Denmark Open. He also had first-round exits at the 2021 French Open (badminton), 2021 Indonesia Masters, and 2021 Indonesia Open.
Achievements
Commonwealth Games Medals
Men's singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi, India |  Chetan Anand |
21–15, 21–18 |  Bronze |
| 2014 | Emirates Arena, Glasgow, Scotland |  Derek Wong |
21–14, 11–21, 21–19 |  Gold |
BWF World Tour (1 Runner-up)
The BWF World Tour is a series of important badminton tournaments. They are approved by the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Canada Open | Super 100 |  Li Shifeng |
22–20, 14–21, 17–21 |  Runner-up |
BWF Grand Prix (2 Titles, 1 Runner-up)
The BWF Grand Prix was another series of badminton tournaments. They were played between 2007 and 2017.
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | India Grand Prix Gold |  Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk |
21–9, 14–21, 21–17 |  Winner |
| 2015 | Syed Modi International | Srikanth Kidambi |
23–21, 23–21 | Winner |
| 2017 | U. S. Open | H. S. Prannoy |
15–21, 22–20, 12–21 | Runner-up |
- BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
- BWF Grand Prix tournament
BWF International Challenge/Series (1 Title, 3 Runners-up)
Men's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Smiling Fish International | Tanongsak Saensomboonsuk |
21–23, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2009 | Spanish International |  Hans-Kristian Vittinghus |
10–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
| 2009 | Le Volant d'Or de Toulouse |  Rajiv Ouseph |
11–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
| 2018 | Austrian International |  Cheam June Wei |
23–21, 21–14 | Winner |
- BWF International Challenge tournament
- BWF International Series tournament
Awards and Recognition
- Arjuna Award, 2012
- ₹2.5 million (US$43,000) cash award from the Badminton Association of India.
- ₹5 million (US$85,000) cash award from the Telangana government.
