Hard-working Neysa rising up the ranks

Discipline often goes a long way in charting one’s course to success, be it in academics or sports.

It is no different for 13-year old Neysa Cariappa, a student of Bethany High School.

From picking up the badminton racquet just for fun after watching a few people in action to rising up as one of the state’s most promising shuttlers, discipline has taken Neysa a long way.

Neysa won her first ever tournament back in 2015 in the under-10 singles at the Skyfinch State-ranking badminton tournament.

From there on, the 13-year old has won two State championships (U-13 and U-15 singles) and has represented Karnataka at the Sub-junior Nationals twice.

She is currently the highest ranked singles player in the girls’ U-15 category in the State.

For someone so young, Neysa has a gruelling daily schedule which reflects in her quick rise. She wakes up at 4:30 am, trains at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium for two hours, heads to school, and then spends four hours in the evening training at the Kormanagala Club with coaches Irshad Khan and Prakash Rathod. Her weekends are spent with BN Sudhakar of DYES, who was her first coach.

“In a span of six months, I showed tremendous improvement. Sudhakar sir helped me a lot. He put me in the senior batches, and from then on I have been steadily improving,” she said when asked about her early days.

Her parents Cariappa AB and Zarine have been pillars of support, accompanying her to all tournaments, and taking turns in driving her to morning sessions.

They are quick to point out their daughter’s ‘never say die’ attitude. “Whenever she is losing, she takes it to the third set. If she loses that also, she tells us that she will defeat that person in the next tournament,” said Cariappa.

Neysa is presently ranked 26th at the national level. “I was 18th last month but missed out on two tournaments, which is why I dropped places.”

She is, however, looking to improve her nationals record when she heads to Imphal and Guwahati in July for national ranking tournaments.

A semifinal finish will ensure her a place in the Indian team.

Speaking about her goals, the young shuttler hopes to represent the country at the international stage, with her immediate priority being the Junior Asian Badminton Championship later this year.