The Hindu : Sport : Qualifying round battles in full swing

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 02, 2007
ePaper

Sport

Sport - Sports : General

Qualifying round battles in full swing

KOCHI: As he ran in circles chasing the little bird, Rishabh Sahdev knew he was fighting a losing battle.

But despite being pitted against an opponent nearly twice his size and three years his senior, the 11-year-old from Delhi played his heart out in the under-16 qualifying round of the Indian Oil-Servo all-India junior ranking badminton tournament here on Friday.

Rishabh, making his debut in the National circuit this year, lost in straight games — improving with each set — against Uttar Pradesh's Manjay Yadav at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium but he picked some very valuable lessons.

"It's tough but very interesting," said the student of the Bal Bharti Public School about life on the new circuit.

The qualifying rounds, where 900 players are in action, saw many little boys and girls soak in the first hard lessons of a major tournament. For the winners, as they climbed each qualifying step, little dreams were being realised.

The main draw matches begin on Sunday. — Principal Correspondent

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport