Pullela Gopichand has led two Indian female shuttlers to glory at the Olympic Games. First, he helped Saina Nehwal to the Bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics and now has taken PV Sindhu to the silver medal in Rio. But there is always an important part and person whom the coach has to leave behind when taking his players to international competitions around the world.
That one important person is Pullela Gopichand’s wife PVV Lakshmi who is also a former shuttler and represented India at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Lakshmi, a former national champion now helps her husband in running the Gopichand academy in Hyderabad. This is the same academy which has now produced two Olympic medallists in Nehwal and Sindhu.
But there is one aspect where the former Indian shuttler feels that Nehwal and now Sindhu have that she herself never had. Lakshmi spoke to Mirror about PV Sindhu’s achievement where she said, “The idea is to provide today's generation what we didn't have. Sindhu has what I didn't have back then - my husband as coach.”
Speaking further about Sindhu, Lakshmi said, “Sindhu is special because she has Gopi for support. He is her biggest asset. I am not saying because he is my husband but because of the commitment the coach has shown for her. I have no regrets in my career but If I had had a coach as committed as Gopi is, I would have done very well.”
Sindhu’s hard work has led her to the top
Lakshmi, however, didn’t forget to heap praise on PV Sindhu, whose play she believes has improved leaps and bounds in recent times because of her dedication to the game.
“She has changed tremendously over the last 4-5 months. She used to be good before also but of late she has improved greatly. She would be most vulnerable when she was winning. The body language was meek and droopy. She did not know how to close the matches. But she has become mentally and physically strong and has developed aggression. You could see that in the Olympics. I am really proud of her for being the youngest woman medallist of the country. She is a very committed and sincere student,” she added.
The wife of Gopichand also said that it was unfair for people to criticise sportspersons for failing to win at the Olympics because she feels that the country still has a long way to go in terms of infrastructure. She said, “What we are trying to do at the academy is to eliminate the difficulties we faced. Back then, the main stadium would be unavailable for months due to political and social events. Once, the entire stadium was shut because the ballot boxes were kept there.”
Lakshmi is Gopichand’s support system
The former shuttler has been the support system to the most determined of coaches India will ever see – Pullela Gopichand. Lakshmi is a perfect combination of a professional, mother and a housewife, and that is exactly what has made Gopichand so successful as a coach.
But the first woman Olympian from undivided Andhra Pradesh is not just a partner on the badminton court and academy. The former shuttler has been taking care of their two children and has also been helping young aspiring players in developing as world beaters. However, there has been a huge change in the sport since the shuttler last featured at the 1996 Olympics but her love for the sport remains the same.
Also read: Pullela Gopichand: The Dronacharya to PV Sindhu's Arjun
The Gopichands have instilled this love for badminton in their own children as well. With Gayatri aged 13 and Sai Vishnu aged 12 taking up the sport, Badminton has now reached their next generation where the parents are inspiring their children. Lakshmi adds that Gopichand has been teaching and training their kids which is exemplary. She said, “He adds focus and determination to their talent. That is what one learns at the Gopichand Academy.”
Lakshmi is an 8-time national champion in badminton herself and knows a thing or two about the sport. Gopichand and Lakshmi got married in 2002 after having known each other for some time as both the players used to represent the nation at the international circuit. But her most important contribution to the nation had probably come when she helped her husband in setting up their academy in 2008.
Gopichand academy was built for providing infrastructure to youngsters
Speaking about the objective of starting the academy, Lakshmi said, "We started the academy to eliminate the difficulties we underwent. We wanted the future players to have the best of facilities. When Gopi won the bronze at CW Games (1998) and all-England (2001), he was 27, he did not have the adequate facilities. There were no indoor stadiums. The LB Stadium (in Hyderabad) or the one in Vijayawada would be unavailable for days and months because of various functions and elections. Sometimes, they would be closed because the ballot boxes had to be locked there.”
The former shuttler revealed, “For four to five months a year, the indoor courts would be out of bounds. And then the availability of shuttles. They were quite expensive. We could not even think of physios or masseurs that are available these days. There would be none to advise us how to train and how to prevent injuries. The purpose of starting the academy was to provide all these requirements — physical, infrastructural and technical.”
Lakshmi recalled her own career as a player and said that if the same facilities were given to her during her playing days, it would have made a difference. "The situation was so bad that we could not think too big. When I started my career in Rajahmundry, there was no national champion from Andhra Pradesh. Our targets were only national, there would not be any international ambitions. There would be many hangers-on who would constantly encourage us — 'kuch nahi kar sakte bahar jake' types. The national champions used to come only from Maharashtra and Karnataka. Now no one talks about the nationals, everyone's ambitions are global, Olympics and world championships," she said.
The shuttler also spoke about how she and her husband were always focussed on the goal. She said, “We were workaholics. The only advantage for us then was we didn't have the distractions that the current players have in the form of electronic gadgets and cell phones. We were pretty serious - on and off the court. Gopi used to spend four-five months a year in Germany only to practise. That is the reason he could win the all-England.”
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During her professional career, Lakshmi had won a bronze team championship in Malaysia CW Games, SAARC titles in singles, doubles and mixed in Sri Lanka besides being a proud Olympian. The shuttler is now proudly seeing her own daughter follow in the footsteps. Lakshmi said, “Gayatri is developing into a good player. She is India No 1 in Under 15 and last year, she was the youngest to participate in the junior ABC in Indonesia. Then she was 12. And she had won doubles champion.”
Gopi is a doting father to the kids
The wife was not far behind in praising her husband, she said, “Gopi as a coach is 100 per cent commitment. He gives his all and expects the same from the students. There is no other passion in his life than coaching. Sometimes he would be so lost in his own world that he would not know who are around him. He would not even know that I am talking to him. I literally have to shake him up. That kind of intensity, focus and commitment... I have never seen in any other such coach.”
She ended by saying, “He lives in literally in the academy - conducting different sessions from 10-year-old to 30-year-olds. He goes there at 4 am returns only after 7 pm with two-hour lunch break. Sometimes, it gets slashed by one hour. We get to spend quality time only for an hour in the evenings. But I can understand that. Whatever support I can extend I give him. I don't tell him that he must spend more time with the family. I am happiest because he is a doting father to the kids."
