Kochi, Feb 29: Years ago, when Aparna Popat decided to leave her family in Mumbai for Bangalore, even her parents might not have envisaged that their youngest child would become the queen of Indian badminton.It was the cricket-crazy Aparna's burning desire to excel in the game that prompted her to embark on training at Bangalore's BPL-Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA). It was a 15-year old's aspirations to be trained by her role model - Indian badminton's all-time great Padukone, the 1980 All-England champion.After college, the `paying guest' was ready for the evening session. Such was her tenacity and perseverance which ultimately paid off.There used to be a time when cricket was Aparna's first love. ``Aparna was always interested in sports. We never dreamt of a cricket-crazy girl like Aparna taking to badminton. But once she made up her mind, we extended her full support,'' recalls Aparna's mother Heena Popat, who provides the psychological boost to the champion by accompanying her. ``Mom's presence really helps me,'' supplemented the champion.Aparna remembered the days when she was the lone girl in a group of 22 who played cricket in her Mumbai colony. Is watching cricket on television is her favourite pastime?``No,'' came the reply. ``I don't like to watch India losing now. I always want to win. I like to keep on winning,'' she revealed.It was at the age of eight that she embraced badminton and in no time, her father Lalji M Popat, a businessman, engaged Anil Pradhan, former National doubles champion, to train her. ``I owe a lot to Anil Pradhan who taught me basics of the game,'' said the 21-year old final-year BCom student.Under Pradhan's training, Aparna won many tournaments in the mini and sub-junior level which led to her being invited to the Padukone Academy.``Decision to join the Academy was a major breakthrough and becoming runner-up in the World Junior Championships in Denmark in '96 was the high-point of my career,'' said the '98 French Open champion.Vimal Kumar is the only other Indian to have won the French Open which he claimed twice in 1984 and '85. Aparna has two more international feathers in her cap - Satellite trophies at Colombo and Chennai.Barring a defeat to Neelima Choudhury in the Petroleum championship last December, Aparna, a Grade A officer with IOC, is undefeated in the country for almost three years.That defeat came a day after her sister's marriage and she went without any practice. An individual silver medallist and team bronze medallist in the Commonwealth Games (Kuala Lumpur, '98), semi-finalist in Swedish Open '99, runner-up in French Open '99, junior National champion from 1993 to '96, runner-up in senior Nationals in '96 and '97, Aparna is on a hat-trick trail in the women's singles in the Nationals, currently on in Kochi.``Forthcoming French Open and the European tours are my short-term goals and breaking into the top 10 in World rankings is my aim,'' said the World No 23. ``Training at Bangalore fine-tuned my game,'' said Aparna who practises five hours a day.``Aparna lacks the physique of players like BR Meenakshi but she overcomes that with a brainy game knitted with all-court movement and better mobility which even puts behind her height disadvantage,'' said Academy coach Balachandran. A statement Vimal Kumar too agreed with.Aparna owed her physical strength to the family of Abhijit Naimpally (a trainee with PPBA) where she takes food of late. ``It is my family away from family.''Referring to P Gopi Chand's proposed training in Germany, Aparna said she had no plans to train abroad. ``The training at the BPL Academy is adequate. What we need is more such academies and a system to spot and groom the talent at a young age,'' she said.
