Anupama Upadhyaya, an Indian badminton player who is competing for her country in the badminton competition at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, has stated that she looks up to Lakshya Sen, the country’s top badminton player who inspired her to compete at the highest level. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Anupama described Lakshya as someone she looked up to throughout her training years under the direction of his father, DK Sen. Scroll down to read, Indian Shuttler Anupama Upadhyaya Admires Lakshya Sen.
Indian Shuttler Anupama Upadhyaya Admires Lakshya Sen
Lakshya Sen also motivated Anupama Updhyaya to play internationally. She said, “At the age of 11, I began training with Sir DK Sen, the father of Lakshya Sen. Lakshya, who is currently playing at the national and international levels and winning awards, was once someone I looked up to. I used to look at him and want to be successful. That’s when I decided to compete internationally when I was 11 years old and bring home many medals for my nation. I also admire my senior Lakshya, but Tai Tzu-Ying, a Chinese woman, is my ideal.”
The Asian Games 2023 will take place in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8. Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu will lead India’s effort in the women’s singles and team competitions.
Star shuttlers from India, including HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth in the men’s singles event, and Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy in the men’s doubles event, are competing to earn medals for their nation.
Anupama, who is competing in women’s singles, said, “I am feeling very overwhelmed and excited for the upcoming Asian games, as this would be the first time that I would be representing India at such a higher level. Undoubtedly, the opportunity to train with veterans like Sindhu, Prannoy, and Lakshya is fantastic for me. They have a lot of expertise, and I am learning from them about how they train and get ready for court. Being a part of this team makes me feel very fortunate.”
Anupama Upadhyaya On Asian Games Preparation
When questioned about her preparation for the Asian Games, she answered, “I was working on my strengths. Because when you play at such a higher level, you need to have strength. Top-class players comes to the Asian Games. When I was doing my sessions, I was strict. For the Asian Games, I believe I am extremely well prepared.”
Last month, Anupama won the Tajikistan International Series 2023 championship. She discussed her experience winning. Anupama also discussed the Indonesia Masters 2023, a BWF World Tour Super 100 competition, and her experiences there. She advanced to round 32 but fell to Shiori Saito of Japan with scores of 11–21–7–21.
Anupama also sent Indian competitor Kiran George her congratulations on his victory in the Indonesia Masters 2023.
Anupama failed to win the Senior National Championship in her first attempt, in 2019. But in her second attempt, she won the competition in February.
