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B. Sai Praneeth is one of four members of the Indian badminton team heading into the Olympics 2021. The 28-year-old secured his Olympic berth after he was ranked in the top 16 in the men's singles. Sai Praneeth is seeded 13th in the singles category.
Sai Praneeth first shot to fame when he won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships. The Andhra Pradesh shuttler has been consistent with his form over the last few years, making him the next Indian badminton star to watch out for.
In a recent chat, Sai Praneeth recalled the day he watched his first Olympic badminton final between Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan at the 2008 Beijing Games. According to him, it was one of the best Olympic badminton finals he had witnessed. While remembering that day, Sai Praneeth said:
"That is the first time I watched the men's singles final. I think I will never forget that game. I think it was the best game played by Lin Dan. He was totally in control"
Also read: Indian badminton at Tokyo Olympics 2020: All the participants, events, schedule, streaming details
Sai Praneeth's preparation ahead of Olympics 2021
Sai Praneeth is disappointed at his lack of practice time and tournament experience last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Every sporting event across the world was put to a halt for half of 2020 and athletes had a hard time dealing with the pandemic.
However, strangely, Sai Praneeth thinks the lack of regular tournaments might play to his advantage. He said:
"Nobody knows how people are playing and how everybody is practising, or in which area they are improving. So definitely, it is something which is the same for everybody"
This year, Sai Praneeth participated in four tournaments and feels that he is in good shape ahead of the Olympics. However, he believes that fitness is a major concern for some players.
"I think, for them, it is not so easy because they don't know how they are playing. When you see a player in practice, everything can seem fine. Only when you play tournaments will you know how good you are playing and how bad you are playing"
Sai Praneeth's compatriot Kidambi Srikanth helped him prepare for the games by practicing with him. Srikanth was part of the Indian badminton team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Srikanth reached the quarterfinals before losing to former World No. 1 Lin Dan of China. Kidambi Srikanth failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics due to the cancelation of the tournaments.
Sai Praneeth believes confidence is the key to his performance
The Indian badminton star clearly knows what it takes to perform well at a mega event like the Olympics. Confidence has been a key factor in his career for the 28-year-old. He said:
"I think the first thing is confidence. I can feel that whenever I play confidently, sometimes a good win gives you a lot of confidence. That's what happened [2019] World Championships"
Sai Praneeth also believes that the lack of confidence during the tournament is also a key issue for him. He further added:
"However well you play or however fit you are, sometimes because of a confidence issue you may mess up during a game. So, that is a main thing for me"
Sai Praneeth aims for a podium finish at the Tokyo Olympics
Sai Praneeth will make his Summer Games debut at the Tokyo Olympics. Badminton is one of the medal prospects for India at the quadrennial event in Japan. The 28-year-old believes that he has the capability and confidence to win an Olympic medal.
"You know you are capable of winning a medal and so, yes, you have to train for the medal and not just got to participate. So, winning a medal is the main target."
Sai Praneeth's Tokyo Olympics campaign will begin on 24th July 2021. He will face Misha Zilberman of Israel in the first round.
Also check out: India at Olympics 2021 live updates
