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Nidhi Hopes for Break Out for Indian Female Players
India has unearthed a potential future female star in Nidhi Tiwari.
| The 15-year-old accomplished a rare feat when she won both the under-16 and under-19 titles at the Pramod Mahajan Tournament. Soon afterwards, she crafted's Delhi's silver medal at under-16 level in the 53rd School National Games. To top it off, she won a bronze medal against the senior players at the All India Women's Festival. More recently, she took the under-19 and women's singles titles at the 19th Tirath Ram Memorial Badminton Tournament. According to expressindia.com, Nidhi beat great rivals and training partners Nupur Sachdeva and Shraddha Srivastav in the under-19 tournament. She admits that the players are friends off the court but once she puts on her game face, they are merely opponents. "I just concentrate on my game and don't think much about who the opponent is. When I step on to the court, I am only thinking about winning," she was quoted as saying. India has a strong badminton pedigree in men's singles with Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand winning the top prize at the All England championships. However, there has never really been an Indian woman who has risen to the same level. Nidhi, however, is hoping to change all that. Her ambition is to become national champion by the time she is 17 and also represent her country at international events, including the Olympics. "Technically, my game is sound. I hit powerful shots and am quick as well, but I lack in endurance," she said. "I need to concentrate on my physical fitness and work hard on my stamina." Nidhi paid tribute to her coach Arun Khanna, who has helped her groom her skills and court craft. "It feels great that my hard work has paid off. I've trained very hard and my coach, Arun Khanna, has helped me a lot. He's not only my mentor but also my idol," she said. "Had he not been there, I don't know if I would have been playing that well." Nidhi is not part of the Indian team for this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. However, if she achieves the goals she set out for herself, then she could very well play a part in the London Games of 2012. |
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