Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal (born 17 March 1990) is an Indian badminton player and one of the most successful shuttlers in Indian history. She is widely regarded as the player who put Indian badminton on the global map. Nehwal has been ranked as high as World No. 1 in the BWF rankings and won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics — becoming the first Indian badminton player to win an Olympic medal. Born in Hisar, Haryana, Saina was introduced to badminton by her father Harvir Singh Nehwal, a former state-level badminton player. She trained under coach Pullela Gopichand at the Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad. Her early talent was evident as she won the under-10 state championship at age 8. Nehwal's breakthrough came in 2006 when she became the under-19 national champion. She went on to win multiple titles on the international circuit including the BWF Superseries titles. Her crowning achievement came at the 2012 London Olympics where she won the bronze medal in women's singles, becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal in badminton. She also reached the semifinals of the 2015 World Championships. In 2015, Nehwal became the first Indian woman to reach the World No. 1 ranking in badminton. She has won multiple medals at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and All England Open. Her rivalry with Chinese players and her ability to compete against the best in the world inspired a generation of Indian badminton players, including PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, and Lakshya Sen.