B. Sumeeth Reddy: 10 things to know about India's badminton hopeful at Rio Olympics 2016

Sumeeth Reddy and Manu Attri

Part of the Indian contingent for the Rio Olympics 2016, B. Sumeeth Reddy, the 24-year-old shuttler will be playing in his first ever Olympic Games. Sumeeth won the men’s doubles of the Canada Open on Sunday along with Manu Attri, who will partner him in the Games as well.

Here are 10 things you should know about the Andhra Pradesh-born badminton player.

1. B. Sumeeth Reddy was born on 26 September, 1991 in Gungal, Andra Pradesh.

2. He started playing badminton in Hyderabad in 2001 because his father, who himself is an athlete wanted him to take up the sport. He started playing competitively at the age of 16.

3. He considers his father to be the most influential part of his life. He has been a member of the Indian national badminton team since 2013.

4. His idols include Gopi Chand, Lin Dan, and his father. He is a religious man who prays before every match.

5. He takes his training very seriously and is a no-nonsense player. He has played 154 doubles matches, winning 83 of them and losing 71 of them.

6. Sumeet had started his career as a singles player and had won five of the seven finals at the national level and was even ranked no.1 in India at one point of time. A back injury forced him to turn to doubles in 2011.

7. He partnered Manu Attri for men's doubles events and the duo won the Senior Nationals in Srinagar in 2012, and the Tata Open twice in 2013 and 2014.

8. They had reached the finals of the US Open Grand Prix Gold and won the Mexico Open Grand Prix in 2015. The Mexican Open Grand Prix was their maiden title of 2015, and they beat Bodin Issara and Nipitphon Puangpuapech in straight games to win the competition.

9. Last year, they won the Lagos Open in June and broke into the top 20 for the first time. They were also runners-up in Guatemala International and went on to win the Belgium International Challenge Championship. They currently have a world ranking of 17 in men’s doubles event.

10. Attri and Sumeet were the first Indian men’s doubles pair to qualify for the Rio Olympics, and have been working hard to improve their fitness level ahead of the Games in August. This will be their maiden Olympics, and they hope to make the country proud by finishing on the podium at the event.

Quick Links

Edited by Staff Editor