Internet Desk: Parupalli Kashyap is working hard to regain his place in the 2018 Commonwealth Games after missing out on Rio Olympics due to a knee injury. After recovering from knee injury, the 31-year-old succumbed to shoulder injury while playing in the Premier Badminton League. Once the world No.6, Kashyap has been dogged by injuries and his ranking slipped in the latest chart. With 12 weeks left to earn a berth for the Rio Olympics, the Indian shuttler is racing against time to even be fit for competing in the tournaments crucial to fetch qualifying points.
When Kashyap wobbled off the court at German Open last year, he would have never imagined that it would spell the end of his Olympic dream.
It was only after the India Super Series that he realised his knee won’t heal in time and he will be robbed of his second Olympics Games as he won’t be able to improve his ranking before the May 4 deadline.
Kashyap is facing the uphill task of racking up enough ranking points to earn a place in the Commonwealth Games team.
“It has been a difficult phase for me to go through the whole injury phase. First it was knee which ended my Olympic dream and then the shoulder injury. But I am feeling good now, I am fit and I am happy with my performance at China Masters Grand Prix Gold,” Kashyap told PTI.
“I will get better as I play more. It was just the first tournament in four months and I will now have to improve my ranking enough to be selected in the team for the Commonwealth Games, so that I can defend my title.
During the injury lay-off, many of his junior colleagues such as Sameer Verma and Sai Praneeth found success.
“It is a very healthy competition. We have some good players in India now and it helps to train against them. There is Srikanth, Sameer, Praneeth, all these guys are fantastic players. So I will really need to work hard to achieve my target,” Kashyap said.
RMV Gurusaidutt, who had won the bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, also had to undergo a major surgery for a nagging ankle problem in October last year and has been out of international circuit ever since.
The 27-year-old has also regained his fitness and is playing his first tournament at the ongoing PSPB inter-unit badminton Championship in Bangalore.
“It has been a long way to recovery. I have been training hard and played in the academy against my fellow players but this is the first event since my surgery. It will help me to test my fitness and recovery,” he said.
“It will be challenging but I will give it a shot. It is difficult but possible,” he added.