Sugil, differently abled, badminton's new star

A Diploma in Computer Engineering, to excel in badminton is his dream

 
Coach Arul Kumar with his ward A Sugil who won the ninth all-India Super Six Badminton Tournament for the differently abled, recently.Photo: K Ananthan

He is young and talented. He has the ability to shake even the best of the bunch on court despite being differently abled. A. Sugil is badminton’s newfound star.

The 22-year-old struck it rich in the recently concluded ninth all-India super six badminton tournament for the differently abled conducted at the indoor badminton courts in Nalco Nagar, Angul in Odisha.

Sugil, who was one among the three representatives from Tamil Nadu, clinched the singles title defeating Ashwin of the host State 15-21, 21-14, 22-20 in a thrilling final.

He later paired with Indrajith Paul to wrest the doubles title and, with it, earned the applause of the crowd.

Sugil, who hails from Erode, has a deformed left forearm since birth. It did not matter for this youngster. He believes he can battle the top stars even among the able bodied provided chances come his way.

He holds a Diploma in Computer Engineering from the Al Ameen Polytechnic College in Erode. But badminton is his dream.

He loves the sport so much that he bid goodbye to his hometown to settle down in Coimbatore for the sake of training.

“The city has a host of stars. I felt if I can train with them then I can go places,” says Sugil.

The ambitious player has been training for over a year and a half under the watchful eyes of coach C. Arul Kumar at the Déjà vu Club courts in Tristar. “He is a very talented player and has got a good all-round game. I will rate him among the top 10 players in the district,” says Arul.

“He needs a bit of fine tuning too and needs to focus more,” he adds.

“That’s because I need to find a job quickly. I am afraid I will not be able to hold on for long alone in Coimbatore,” he is quick to add.

Arul feels if that can be sorted out he can make a fine player. “His mind will be free and he will be far more relaxed to strike it big.”

Sugil, who loves to play long rallies, says he is much better off playing against the able-bodied. “It gives me a lot of confidence. I feel a lot better too.”

The youngster, who has played a couple of nationals for the differently abled, understands that he needs to up his game.

“I need to improve my game by another 80 per cent to pull off a surprise in the State championship for the able bodied. I will do that in a year or two,” he adds and thanked the State association for the disabled for its support.

Sugil also has a dream to win a medal for his country at the Paralympic Games. I aim to do it by 2020. “I will increase my training hours and work hard for the next seven years. I am pretty confident of achieving it.”

Source : The Hindu , Coimbataore ( 22nd feb 2013 )