Delhi’s Vaishnavi Puneyani began her tryst with badminton as a hobby, before slowly on her father’s insistence she started to train professionally, but one year later, disaster struck as an accident changed her life when she was just 10 years old.
Puneyani suffered a leg drop on her right foot after a glass table fell on her feet, but the accident didn’t deter her spirit. The youngster continued to pursue able-body badminton but found it impossible to match the competitive level with the restricted movement following her injury.
She subsequently switched to Para-Badminton, has risen to 18th place in the SL4 category in the BWF world rankings and is targeting glory at the Paris Paralympics 2024.
During an exclusive chat with News18.com, Puneyani shed light on her badminton journey, the roller coaster ride and her future plans as she also aspires to give a crack at UPSC.
Having started playing badminton in 2014, the shuttler began taking training professionally for nearly a year before the unexpected happened.
“I began my journey non-professionally, during 2014 I enrolled myself for training and initially, it was like a hobby but then my father noticed that I was playing well and he suggested that I should start training professionally. I could only play for one year before I got injured, I was only around 10 years old when the accident occurred, I suffered a foot drop on my right leg due to which my leg movement was severely restricted,” Puneyani recalled.
She continued training like an able-bodied athlete and competed in state-level competitions in Delhi before realizing that something had to change.
“Nonetheless, I tried to play like before, even though it took me 1 year to get back on the court. Badminton was like therapy for me, so I wanted to continue playing the sport, and I played in the able body for a while because I didn’t know much about para-badminton. I played at the state level but after the injury, it was impossible to compete in the able body,” she added.
After a while, she came to know about Para Badminton and after training for one year in Lucknow, she is now planning to join the famed Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad the mecca of Indian badminton.
“After a while through social media, I got to know about para-badminton coaches and last year in April I joined Gaurav Khanna’s academy for para-athletes. Currently, I’m planning to join Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad later this year,” Vaishnavi stated.
The 18-year-old has shown an unwavering spirit, fueled by her father’s determination and she has big plans for her future, including a crack at USPC somewhere down the line.
“I believe everything happens for a good reason, I was very young when the accident happened, and sometimes people would say that I walk differently and it felt like more of a mental disability. That didn’t stop me from playing though, thankfully my family was also very supportive and many people told my family how would I be able to play if I can’t walk properly, but my father clearly said let your performances speak for you. My family always kept pushing me, even in my studies as well, I am thinking about preparing for UPSC but I’m too sure right now. I was lucky enough that they supported me in sports and in studies too,” Puneyani revealed.
When quizzed about her inspiration, the youngster revealed that she has watched all the clips of Saina Nehwal available on YouTube.
“I used to look up to Saina Nehwal, I feel that her journey has been very inspirational, I even saw her movie. What I really like about her is her dedication to the sport, and that’s something which motivates me as well, no matter what happens, you have to be positive because we create our environment by our thoughts. I watched PV Sindhu once playing in Delhi, although I couldn’t watch Saina in action. I did watch all of her games on YouTube though,” she chuckled.
Having to juggle between her 12th board exams and a professional badminton career has proved to be quite a tedious task but Puneyani said that she has her sights set on Paris Paralympics and her studies are likely to take a back seat until next year. After that, she might think about going all out for the preparation for UPSC having scored 92 per cent in her boards.
“The main goal is Paris 2024, I am currently a little behind in terms of preparation, I completed my board exams recently and I even had a minor injury on my hand, and because of that I feel I’m a little late for Paris Paralympics but I am looking to give my best for the 2023 ASEAN Para Games. I am aiming for the next step, not worrying too much about the future, so the ASEAN Para Games will be the next step,” she insisted.
Puneyani continued, “I am currently preparing to give my best for the trials which are likely to be held in Delhi/Gurgaon. My name is there among the probables but you have to give your best. There’s also a tournament in Indonesia, which I will use as part of my preparation for the Paris Olympics qualification.”
“I feel I do have that ability to crack UPSC, but Paris is my main goal for now,” she concluded.
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