Ageing like fine wine

Bengaluru: Over the last decade, the ‘age factor’ in the sporting ecosystem has seen a paradigm shift. Where those in the bracket of 30 years and above were considered over the hill not too long ago, there has been steady rise in the number of athletes who are performing their best after what was once considered the “threshold” age. 

The highest-ranked Indian in world badminton at eight, H S Prannoy, is but just one example. At 31, the player from Kerala attained his best ranking of no. 6, won a bronze at the World Championships besides leading the Indian men’s side to the first-ever team silver in the Asian Games. The pinnacle of his achievements for this year came when he ended a 41-year-old medal drought in men’s singles by capturing a bronze for his second metal at the continental bash in Hangzhou. 

“Age is just a number,” he said. “It was a brilliant season for me. The first few months were slow and then I performed well post April when I began playing a lot of good badminton and got deep into tournaments,” said Prannoy. 

In a career marred by constant injuries and long patches of slump, Prannoy is the quintessential “comeback” man. His show of resilience has aged like fine wine and the shuttler is showing zero signs of slowing down. 

“I have been written off so many times in my entire career. I’m glad it has been this way because my perception of learning has evolved over the years. Post 26-27 is when I realised that we can still do new things to keep improving and excel,” explained Prannoy.

The one constant partner in Prannoy’s rollercoaster ride has been coach Pullela Gopichand. And the pupil credits the guru for sticking by his side through the wavering career graph. 

“I have been training with Gopi bhaiya for the last 15 years. I have been with him more than my parents to be honest. That bond is very strong. He is very proud of me over the fact that I never gave up on playing at the highest level despite recurring hurdles,” he noted.

While Prannoy is enjoying all the accolades for his spoils on court, he particularly takes pride in being the reason behind one of the rare moments in Indian badminton - seeing tears of joy in Gopi bhaiya’s eyes! The otherwise stoic coach broke down while hugging Prannoy after he battled through a back injury to win a tough quarterfinal match at the Asiad to confirm an individual medal. 

“Haha! Yeah, well. I was not able to get up the day before travelling to Hangzhou. From being in such a situation to medal at the Games was something none of us expected. Having witnessed my struggles throughout those 10 days, I guess, made him (Gopichand) emotional.” 

Maintaining his ranking is one of the top goals for Prannoy in 2024, a year with the Olympics also scheduled, he said. 

“I’m not looking at just one or two events. In fact, I’m thinking long term and want to improve. 2023 was my best and I want to do better than that in 2024 and 2025. For me, it is a bit of an ultra long plan, I just want to continue playing well for the next 3-4 years.”