It’s always an exciting time when a rising sports prodigy paves her way through the sports circuit with a combination of passion, hard work, dedication and relentlessness. 18 year old badminton star Rudra Rane is already creating a buzz with her achievements featured in badminton news, leaving fans wanting for more!
In an exclusive interview with SPOGO, Rudra Rane speaks about her introduction to badminton, balancing studies and sports, coping up with setbacks, the importance of her coach, memorable accomplishments and future goals.
Q 1) When were you first introduced to badminton and who are some of your idols that you looked up to growing up?
From a young age I loved playing sports. I was into swimming and skating and was doing well but stopped because of family problems. At the age of 12, my father introduced me to badminton. He used to play badminton with his friends outdoors and I started playing with him and actually started enjoying it. I joined a badminton club in Gujarat and slowly started to love playing. I look upto Carolina Marin, Ratchanok Intanon and Tai Tzu Ying greatly.
Q 2) You’re just 18 years old, how do you balance studies and sport? What motivated you to take up badminton professionally?
My college Guru Nanak Khalsa supported me a lot in my journey along with my mother to cope up with studies and badminton. For my last moment of study rush, my teachers helped me by taking extra classes and supported me whenever I needed.
After winning my first state tournament at the age of 12, I was very happy and wondered how many more I can win and bring the medals home. This made me take up badminton more seriously and professionally.
Q 3) How do you cope with setbacks such as injuries? How important of a role does mental health play in bouncing back from difficult times?
Injuries are part of the journey and they do get really annoying many times. After working hard and giving everything, it's really frustrating when you get injured. This makes you feel distracted and less confident. Good mental health helps in staying strong during tough times like injuries etc. It helps in being focused and increases the stubbornness to continue. Mental health is very important in anything, not just in sports. Mental and physical health are both very important when it comes to performance. Mental health helps you to keep going again and again even after setbacks. It helps you in not giving up in difficult times like when you're injured or when you're down.
Also read: My aim is to be ranked first in India’s domestic circuit – Indian badminton star Vaidehi Choudhari
Q 4) How important of a role has your coach played in shaping your career?
I was 14 when we shifted to Mumbai, where I joined a club. I continued playing the state tournaments but very few at the national level. I was performing well at the state level but my desired performance could not be seen at the national level. That's when I moved to Nagpur and joined Jibi Varghese sir at Jibi School Of Sports. Now I am pretty much clear about my future and game. I know what I want – Perform at the highest level in domestic tournaments and aim for international exposure and medals.
Q 5) What are some of your most memorable accomplishments so far?
My most memorable accomplishment so far is winning both under 17 and under 19 girls singles Maharashtra state championship titles in the same tournament in 2018. Also, my first international semi-final at Indonesia in 2018, makes me feel happy.
Q 6) What are your goals and ambitions for the future? How do you plan to achieve them?
My immediate goal is to perform at the highest level in the senior category and break into the top 5 in Indian ranking. Simultaneously I want to play international tournaments and win there to fulfil my dream of winning Olympic gold. For this, my coach is preparing me mentally and physically, scheduling my practice according to my game and making me realise that there are no shortcuts. Motto is to work hard, give everything you have and fulfil your destiny – OLYMPIC GOLD! AS MANY TIMES AS POSSIBLE!
