Fourteen-year-old Varun Kapur is a talented, ambitious, and a hardworking shuttler with an aim, as he realistically sounded out, is to crack the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Top-100 ranking this year and be India No 1 in the Under-15 section.
The effort, Varun knows, is no mean task and also Knows he ought to keep his head down and work toward the first-step target. Ranked No.7 in India and No. 350 on BWF, the Pune-based Nikhil Kanetkar Badminton Academy (NKBA) trainee has begun his journey in earnest. Shifted base as a 11–year old from Kolkata to Pune to work under Athens Olympian Nikhil Kanetkar, Varun recently completed a hat-trick of international wins. The 2016 and 2017 season for Varun has unfolded with three singles titles earned in Cyprus, Israel and the most recent being Croatia.
In a free-wheeling interview, Varun spoke on a host of aspects that revolves around a journey he has chosen. Here’s an excerpts:
Standards: India vs abroad…
In preliminary rounds abroad the standard is slightly lower than India. But quarterfinals onward it gets tough.
Foreign coaches…
It is too early to think of that in the current stage of my career. Our coaches are extremely good.
Hurdles Indian players face while performing abroad…
The biggest is raising finances and the lack of sponsorship leaving one to fend for themselves But I have been lucky… I am sponsored by the KCT Group and I am grateful to Nitasha Thapar for her support.
Fitness. How many hours does a player need to spend on practice/ fitness?
Fitness plays an important part overall. One ought to concentrate more on the game, with the mind on fitness equally. For fitness an hour or two and for practice two to three hours on a daily basis is adequate.
Importance of away tournaments…
Traveling to international meets is equally important to being active on the domestic circuit. The reason: gaining experience by playing a variety of players. However, owing to the cost not everyone can participate as much as they should internationally which is the sad part.
Achievements and targets…
So far I have played five international tournaments and won three. All victories were in the Under-15 section. Simultaneously, I also play in the Under-19 category. Currently, I am ranked 350 in the world and I plan to get into the Top-100 in a year.
Parents’ contribution to success…
Both have played a huge part. They have sacrificed a lot for me to be where I am. My father travels with me to all my tournaments and my mother helps with my diet and health.
Facilities in India…
India has still a lot of catching up to be done up with the kind of infrastructure available abroad. Having said that; I am very lucky to be a part of NKBA, the facilities are excellent and the coaches are extremely good.
Immediate goal…
I’m fourteen years old and my immediate target is to get in to the Top-100 of the BWF World Rankings in a year and to be India No.1 in the Under-15 category by end the year end.
Coach and his contribution to your success…
The primary reason that I moved from Calcutta to Pune was to train under Nikhil (Kanetkar) Sir. He is a phenomenal coach. My other coaches Mayank (Gole) Sir and (Anil) Modak Sir have also played a big part in my overall development.
Anything you expect from the association/government to be done for players?
Certainly! And the biggest request is to rid the prevailing age-fraud. It impedes our growth as players since we are not sure if we playing with people who are genuine or not. Another request would be to funding performing players for tournaments.
2 comments
Hardworking, sincere, and focused, Varun is a credit to his grandparents, Ashok and Pradnya, and his parents.
Really commendable.
To be focused at this age is unique quality.
Heartiest Congratulations