Shuttlers tournament recap: Chat with a champ

Ashwin Menon, Undergraduate batch of 2022

Charu Veluthoor and Sahil Verma took the crown in the mixed doubles category at the recently concluded Ashoka Shuttlers Championship. Charu sat down with us after the tournament to share her experiences.

Congratulations Charu! That was some brilliant skill on display there. So, how was the tournament from your perspective?

Charu: It was an interesting experience for us. We had a blast and winning was just the icing on the cake.

Was it well organised?

Charu: Yes, very much. The A-team members organised the event with great enthusiasm. There weren’t any complications or confusions and everything went smoothly.

Did the level of competition surprise you?

Charu: Yes, especially there were some great players amongst the YIFs. I wasn’t expecting the level of competition to be this high.

Do you think badminton as a sport is receiving the amount of attention it deserves on campus? The games were super exciting but the number of people watching the games weren’t exactly record numbers, were they?

Charu: I agree, it’s slowly emerging as a popular sport on campus. It is also really exciting to watch as there is constant action. Its extremely exhilarating. I hope more people start taking it up and more people turn up for future matches because they are missing a lot.

 It has to be said, that was some brilliant chemistry on display there.

Charu: Yes, Sahil was brilliant! And credit to Ritul and Dipanita for they were really amazing opponents.

That final was a close one.

Charu: Yes, it was!

So, have you trained or attend coaching before coming to Ashoka?

Charu: Never really trained seriously. I took up the game as a leisure activity around the age of 11. I’ve attended summer camps and stuff so that doesn’t really count, I guess.

I see but some of those strokes were masterful, to say the least. Anyway, congratulations once again! Wishing you all the best for your future exploits.

Charu and Sahil beat Ritul and Dipanita Malik in the finals of the mixed doubles event and all in all it was an amazing event with a lot of quality on display. Badminton is an action-packed game with a lot of tense moments.  With the growing interest in the sport being tapped into by the Ashoka Shuttlers Championship, the stage is set for the sport’s further growth on campus.