Abhijith N Kolpe

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Sep 4: Chirag Chandrashekhar Shetty is an Indian badminton player who competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, winning a gold medal in the mixed team event, and a silver in the men's doubles event. Earlier on the occasion of National Sports Day on August 29, Chirag was conferred with Arjuna Award for his outstanding achievement in badminton. He was presented the prestigious award by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind through a virtual conference.

Along with winning gold at the Commonwealth Games, Chirag has also won the Thailand Open 2019 and Hyderabad Open 2018. Further, he has six titles to his name in BWF international series from 2016 to 2019, partnering with Satwiksairaj Rankireddy who also won the Arjuna Award for the year 2020.

Daijiworld had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with the brilliant Chirag Shetty on his life as a badminton player.

Q: Congratulations on your achievement. How do you feel having won the Arjuna Award? How do you think it will help you advance in your career?

A: Thank you, winning the Arjuna Award will definitely serve as a major boost to my career and will motivate me to perform better in future tournaments. As there is no tournament taking place amid pandemic. The award will push me to work harder and drive me to achieve better results in upcoming tournaments.

Q: How has your family supported your badminton career? Can you share anything about your initial days on court and how your interest grew towards the sport?

A: My family continues to play an important role in my badminton journey. During my initial days, my father would accompany me to the tournament. He would leave all his work and invest his time and money to help me with my dream. My family has helped shape my badminton career. I began playing it at the age of 7 and ever since then have grown more passionate towards the game.

Q: Apart from the glorious moment when you received the Arjuna Award, do you have any other memorable moments you would like to talk about?

A: There are several such occasions which have been memorable. Predominantly would be winning the gold and silver medals at Commonwealth Games and also scoring the victory at the Thailand Open last year were the moments I consider to be really special.

Q: When you represent India at a global stage, what is it that you go through in your mind? Do you feel any pressure?

A: Unquestionably there will be pressure when one represents India at a global stage. However, I view it as a challenge and take it in a stride. When you represent your country you are under pressure, however, it depends on how you deal with that makes the difference.

Q: Which sportsperson do you idolise?

A: I admire and idolise tennis player Rafael Nadal and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.

Q: Any badminton player that you wish to play along with and against?

A: I wish to play with Hendra Setiawan from Indonesia, whom I have also partnered with once in PBL tournament. He is one of the greatest badminton players in the world. As an opponent, I would choose Kim Dong Moon of Korea.

Q: Although you hail from Mumbai do you have any connection to Mangaluru? If yes, any memories you would like to share?

A: Back when I was young, I would visit Mangaluru to spend time with my cousins at my ancestors' house in Udupi. Those were some good memories I always cherish.

Q: What are your future goals?

A: I have a cherished goal to participate in the Olympics and win a medal for my country.

Q: Because of the pandemic there are no tournaments which are taking place, how did you practice during the lockdown?

A: Given the lack of tournaments taking place, the first two months of the lockdown I would practice at my home. It was quite a task to train yourself. However, later I got the opportunity to play in nearby clubs, it has been good since then.

Q: Any message you want to convey to aspiring badminton players?

A: I want to say that just be passionate about the sport. Do not think greatly about winning and losing as it is part of sports. The most essential thing is to enjoy yourself while playing badminton. This is something I always tell the young kids who want to pursue badminton as their career.