Rohtak in Haryana is all about grappling. But budding athlete Unnati Hooda, who recently burst onto the badminton horizon, has given the city a different star with her smashes, drop shots, crisp returns and slick net-play.
Come June 3, this X Grade pass out from DBG Senior Secondary Public School, Rohtak, will be one of the names to watch out for at the Khelo India Youth Games. She has set her eyes on the gold already.
Unnati (15) has turned out to be a threat to many established stars too, recently getting the better of even Saina Nehwal at the India Open.Later, Nehwal had words of praise for the youngster, saying she was a champion in the making. This was after she won the Odisha Open too in January, becoming the youngest Indian to win a Super 100 event.
Unnati learned the sport at the Chhotu Ram Stadium in Rohtak, famous for producing top wrestlers including Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik.
But her father Upkar was always passionate about badminton and wanted his daughter to take up the sport, which she did and made him proud.
"It was beyond my expectations. She is good in both sports and studies, and I wanted her to excel in badminton," Upkar said, who quit his teaching job to concentrate on his daughter's career in badminton.
She was a member of the women's Uber Cup to Bangkok 2022, which incidentally was her first trip abroad as part of the India team. In the last six months, Unnati has lifted her standard through sheer hard work and was excited to rub shoulders with her idol PV Sindhu.
"It was exciting playing alongside Sindhu, something every budding player dreams of," Unnati gushed. "I follow all her (Sindhu) matches. I like her determination, her discipline. And to win two Olympic medals is no ordinary feat," she added.
"We are happy to have her (Unnati) for the Youth Games, I am sure she will be an inspiration for everyone out there," said the badminton games manager Sunita Singh of KIYG, commenting on Unnati's participation at these games.
( With inputs from ANI )
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