Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Raising a toast to a new star
|
After Aparna Balan and P. C. Thulasi, Daya Elsa Jacob is the new star in Kerala's badminton firmament, says Stan Rayan
|
SMASHING SUCCESS Daya Elsa Jacob, Kerala badminton's new star PHOTO: MAHESH HARILAL
As she entered the crowded Rajiv Gandhi Stadium and looked around, virtually surveying the scene, many thought that the State sub-junior badminton crown would be a cakewalk for P. C. Thulasi.
After all, the Thrissur star is the India number two among sub-juniors. She has been to national camps and many have predicted a very bright future for her. And just a few days before, the 15-year-old had won the State Junior Championship in Waynad, an event for under-19 players.
Watching Thulasi, one little girl must have been squirming in her corner. Playing the Thrissur wonder has never been a pleasant experience for Daya Elsa Jacob. The unseeded 12-year-old from Kochi had just taken two or three points in their five previous encounters. And as she moved to a final face-off with the top-seeded Thulasi in Kochi, Daya's confidence seemed to desert her.
Biggest win
"I wasn't confident. But I wasn't tense either because I knew I had nothing to lose," said Daya, who had upset the second and third seeds on her way to the final.
But the State trophy-decider turned out to be shocker. After some 40 minutes during which she troubled Thulasi with some shrewd crosscourt play, returning everything that her opponent served, Daya pulled off the biggest victory of her budding career. And left Thulasi in tears.
"I've been waiting for this for so long," said the eighth standard student of St. Teresa's School in Kochi.
Daya has come up with some creditable wins in the national circuit's under-13 age group, known as the midget class. She won an all-India ranking event in Pune a few weeks ago and finished runner-up in national circuit tournaments in Kochi and Chennai earlier. She is now ranked No.2 in the country in her age group.
However, with Kerala's Aparna Balan - now among the country's top women in doubles - and Thulasi sparkling on a bigger stage, Daya has been living life on the quiet lane. Her victory over Thulasi should change all that. A few years ago, when stars like Glory Xavier, Devisuma and Fathima Nazneen Mohammed quit the scene one by one, many were worried about the future of Kerala badminton. Now, happily, we have one more new star to follow Aparna and Thulasi.
Daya is twinkle-toed and she is much faster than Aparna and Thulasi. Her reflexes are quick and her array of strokes impressive.
"But she has to be more aggressive, like Aparna," says her uncle, Arjuna awardee George Thomas, a former Senior National champion.
Very focused
Seven years ago, when one first noticed the little girl slowly returning the shuttle, it was her timidness that stood out. She appeared frightened, closing her big eyes tightly when the bird came too fast or when she hit it too hard. A year later, she appeared very focused despite the din of a summer camp in the huge hall.
She comes from a badminton family and one that has taken the sport very seriously. Her dad Suresh Thomas and aunt Preetha are former Kerala stars and uncle George is a Commonwealth Games silver medallist.
She plays for nearly four hours, in two sessions, every day. Hitting the shuttle for so many hours could be boring but Daya has her elder brother Dileep and cousins Arun George and Kiran for company, which makes the training sessions a lot more fun.
Soon, she will run out of quality girls to play with. Thank God, she has her family to spar against.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
|
