Physiotherapist for the Pullela Gopichand Badminton academy Kiran Challagundla has been saddled with the responsibility of keeping the country’s top shuttlers fit.

Kiran, who has been with the Academy since December 2008, has been busy since the lockdown commenced. With Gopichand’s supervision, the senior.physios and other supporting staff have been dishing out adequate instructions on keeping fit during this period since there isn’t any court action yet.

The chief physio is, however, confident that he isn’t worried at all about the fitness of his players as he revealed that all shuttlers have been maintaining about 60-70% of their fitness levels in the lockdown era.

“We have no cause to worry at all about the player’s fitness. They have all been maintaining at least 60-70% fitness. For the first ten days during the lockdown, we kept a distance by not monitoring them. Still, after those ten days, Gopi started taking them constant regular online classes, and we are all helping the players in various sections of the game by closely monitoring their progress as well”.  Said Kiran.

The physios have now revealed that they would need at least two to three months to get the shutters prepared for a return to full action to play tournaments properly though Many sports centers are gradually opening after the lockdown, which will enable the shuttlers to train harder the Telangana government is yet to approve training resumption

“We hopeful of the fact that the Telangana government permit us within a few days to open our training centers as international badminton tournaments are yet to resume a minimum of two or three months training period will happen to condone the preparations for the forthcoming  Olympics next year.

Written by: Olumide Akinnifesi