One of the finest badminton players to have played for India, Parupalli Kashyap celebrates his 34th birthday on Tuesday (September 8). Hailing from Hyderabad, Kashyap has endured many ups and downs in his professional career, but he remains a force to reckon with in the international circuit. The right-handed shuttler has a great command over his powerful smash shots on the court and his agility makes him even more effective. In fact, Kashyap is the first Indian male to have reached the Quarterfinals in an Olympic badminton event. Below, we'll look at some lesser-known facts about him. Pullela Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad Shut for Sanitisation.

Kashyap had to frequently change his residence in childhood due to his father's transferable job. However, his parents identified Parupalli's skill as they enrolled him at a training camp in Hyderabad at the age of 11. He rose through ranks very quickly and made a name for himself. The young gun burst onto the scenes 2005 National Junior Open Badminton Championship where he clinched a gold medal in the Boys Singles event. The shuttler didn't look back after that as he won one and title after nation and made the nation proud. As Kashyap turns a year older, let's look at some lesser-known facts about him. Saina Nehwal Talks About Marriage to Parupalli Kashyap.

  1. .Parupalli Kashyap was born on September 8, 1986, to Uday Shankar and Subhadra Shankar in Hyderabad.

  2. At the age of 11, he joined a training camp which was conducted by Dronacharya Awardee badminton coach Shri S.M. Arif.

  3. Kashyap was diagnosed with Asthma in 2004, which threatened to end his then-budding badminton career.

  4. In 2012, Kashyap became the first Indian male to have reached the Quarterfinals in an Olympic badminton event.

  5. Kashyap won the Indian Open Grand Prix Gold in 2012.

  6. Parupalli Kashyap received the Arjuna Award for Badminton in 2012.

  7. He married fellow badminton star Saina Nehwal in 2018.

Despite not being picked among the eight players to train at the national camp, the veteran shuttler believes that he still has an outside chance to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics which is scheduled to get underway on June 23. As of now, Kashyap is training Hyderabad with his wife Saina Nehwal and some other Indian players.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 08, 2020 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).