Prakash Padukone facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prakash Padukone |
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| Birth name | Prakash Ramesh Padukone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 10 June 1955 Bengaluru, Mysore State (present-day Karnataka), India |
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| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 75 kg (165 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | India | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Highest Ranking | 1 (1980) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Prakash Padukone (born 10 June 1955) is a famous Indian former badminton player. He was the best badminton player in the world, ranked World No. 1 in 1980. In the same year, he made history by becoming the first Indian to win the important All England Open Badminton Championships. The Indian government honored him with the Arjuna award in 1972 and the Padma Shri in 1982 for his amazing achievements. He also helped start Olympic Gold Quest, a group that supports Indian athletes in Olympic sports.
Early Life
Prakash Padukone was born on June 10, 1955, in Bangalore, a city in Karnataka, India. His father, Ramesh Padukone, was very involved in badminton. He worked as the secretary of the Mysore Badminton Association for many years. This meant Prakash grew up around the sport.
Amazing Career
Prakash started playing badminton because of his father. His first official competition was the Karnataka state junior championship in 1962. He lost in the very first round, but he didn't give up! Just two years later, he won the state junior title.
In 1971, Prakash changed his playing style to be more attacking. This helped him win the Indian national junior title in 1972. That same year, he also won the senior national title. He was so good that he won the national title for seven years in a row!
In 1978, he won his first big international award. He earned the gold medal in men's singles at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada. A year later, in 1979, he won the "Evening of Champions" event in London.
The year 1980 was a huge one for Prakash. He won the Denmark Open and the Swedish Open. Most importantly, he became the first Indian player to win the men's singles title at the famous All England Championship. He beat Liem Swie King from Indonesia, who was one of the top players in the world. Prakash spent a lot of his international career training in Denmark. He became good friends with many European players, like Morten Frost.
Helping Others
After he stopped playing badminton professionally in 1991, Prakash continued to help the sport. For a short time, he was the chairman of the Badminton Association of India. He also coached the Indian national badminton team from 1993 to 1996.
Prakash also co-founded Olympic Gold Quest with Geet Sethi. This organization works to help Indian athletes get ready for and win medals at the Olympic Games. It shows his dedication to sports in India.
Family Life
Prakash Padukone is married to Ujjala. They have two daughters. One of their daughters is Deepika Padukone, who is a very famous actress. Their other daughter is Anisha.
Major Achievements
Prakash Padukone had a truly remarkable career. Here are some of his biggest wins and achievements:
- World No. 1 Ranking: He reached the top spot in the world rankings in 1980, showing he was the best player globally.
- All England Open Championship: In 1980, he became the first Indian to win this very prestigious tournament.
- Commonwealth Games Gold: He won the gold medal in men's singles at the 1978 Commonwealth Games.
- Badminton World Cup Gold: In 1981, he won the gold medal at the Badminton World Cup.
- World Championships Bronze: He earned a bronze medal at the World Championships in 1983.
- National Champion: He won the Indian national title for eight years in a row, from 1972 to 1979.
- Awards: The Indian government honored him with the Arjuna award in 1972 and the Padma Shri in 1982. These are high honors for sportspeople in India.
See also
In Spanish: Prakash Padukone para niños
