Born on the 17 of March, in the heart of Haryana, 18 years ago was a young girl who in her coming years would bring fame to her country through the game of Badminton. Born to parents who have been former state champions in Haryana, this young lady has many accolades to her name. Starting from the 2006 Philippines Open, which she won to become the first Indian woman to win a four-star badminton event, to qualifying for the Beijing Olympics this year, this young achiever has made her presence felt in a short span of time. She holds the Under-19 women’s single title, has won twice the Asian Satellite Badminton Tournament (India Chapter) (something which nobody has done in the past in India in the women’s section) and has also been signed on by the Champions Trust of London-based steel baron Lakshmi Mittal that wants to help her become an international champion.

Legends like Prakash Padukone have been quoted in interviews as saying that “she is the best talent to have come out of our country in a long time“.

But the story doesn’t end here. More than Saina herself, it was her parent’s hard work that helped Saina all the way. A Scientist with the Directorate of Oilseeds Research Hyderabad, Mr. Harvir Singh, Saina’s father was the one who made the initial efforts that provided his daughter with a launch pad. Be it reaching for 6 a.m. practices on time or spending half of their monthly salary on training, travelling, shoes, rackets etc. this father did it all for her daughter.

One must realize that achieving anything in life is not a one man game. You owe a lot to those who helped you reach that pinnacle in your life and in Saina’s case it was her parents and coach who did that.

To know more about her you can visit the following community on Orkut.com

http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=27296881

Sania Nehwal’s blog : http://saina-nehwal.blogspot.com