N Dhanyaa, a class IX student of Vidhya Niketan Public School is making her presence felt on the badminton scene, being in the Tamil Nadu Sub-Junior Badminton team. She has won several titles in the Tamil Nadu ranking tournaments and also won the first National Badminton Title, in the under-15 category, in the city.
N Dhanyaa, a class IX student of Vidhya Niketan Public School is making her presence felt on the badminton scene, being in the Tamil Nadu Sub-Junior Badminton team. She has won several titles in the Tamil Nadu ranking tournaments and also won the first National Badminton Title, in the under-15 category, in the city.
Dhanyaa won the first under-15 Girls doubles National Badminton Title, partnering with S Praveena of Viruthunagar, at the Yonex Sunrise All India Sub Junior Ranking Badminton Tournament, held at Patna last month. She has also won a gold medal and a silver medal in the Girls Doubles and two silvers in the Girls Singles, in the Tamil Nadu ranking tournaments this year.
Dhanyaa's passion for badminton makes her willingly put in that extra effort needed, to manage her studies along with her sport. "Initially, I found it difficult to manage time between badminton and studies. But with continuous effort, now I am able to do it with ease," said Dhanyaa. Dhanyaa started her career in 2014 when she was 10 years old. Inspired by her father, who was also an badminton player, she automatically developed a love for the sport and used to spend a lot time on the court, practising. Her regular day begins at 4.45 am and ends at 9 pm every day, with a schedule of a 90 minutes fitness program and five hours of on-court practice, and the rest for her academics.
"My School Correspondent, Rajini Krishnamurthy has been a pillar of encouragement and supported me in my growth as a badminton player. My principal, teachers and classmates are always ready to help me keep pace with my studies, and whenever I miss classes due to tournaments, their support has ensured I do well in academics too," reveals Dhanyaa. She also credits her badminton success to the facility at 'The Officers' Club' where she trains, with Badminton World Federation (BWF) certified coach, Mahendiran and coaches Karthik, Gopi and Naresh.
“Our coach Mahendiran Sir, is very strict on court and friendly off-court. He understands us very well and guides us through our training sessions and also during the tournaments," says Dhanyaa. She says she owes her thanks to the Coimbatore Badminton Association and Tamil Nadu Badminton Association for being a huge motivational factor in her success and also for other players from this region. "They have always encouraged us with positive words, advice and support and I am always grateful to them."
Dhanyaa says, "My mother travels with me for all my tournaments, takes care of my diet and health, and stands with me through my success and failures. She handles all the stress by herself, keeping me focused only on my game. My dad always supports me and has given me the freedom to choose badminton as a career, insisting only that I put in my best effort, in whatever I do."
Dhanyaa is clear with regard to her ambitions saying, “My immediate goal is to represent India at the Asia Junior Badminton Championships and the World Junior Badminton Championships, in the next two years. My ultimate goal is to win the Gold for our country at the Olympics. This win has given me the confidence to aim higher, work harder and has made me even more determined to achieve my goals,” reiterates Dhanyaa.