Ace shuttler Nehwal is over the moon after sharing the stage with her idol Taufik Hidayat at the opening ceremony of CCI's plush badminton facility
Ace shuttler Nehwal is over the moon after sharing the stage with her idol Taufik Hidayat at the opening ceremony of CCI's plush badminton facility
WHENEVER you talk to Saina Nehwal about her early days in badminton, she invariably mentions the famous Indonesian shuttler Taufik Hidayat almost every time.
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STARSTRUCK: Saina Nehwal was overawed while sitting next to Taufik Hidayat as the chief guest for the inauguration ceremony of CCI's new badminton facility yesterday. pics/atul kamble |
The former World champion and 2004 Athens Olympic gold medallist has been an inspiration throughout Saina's badminton sojourn.
"I had seen his (Taufik) Olympic final match on television and he was phenomenal," the 19-year-old Hyderabadi told MiD DAY yesterday.
"I was just picking up the game then and it had a huge impact on me. The match is still fresh in my mind because of the way he played it. Since then, he is my hero."
No wonder then, when the World No 9 Saina inaugurated the Cricket Club of India's state-of-the-art badminton hall (see box) along with her childhood hero and idol, the former World No 1 Hidayat, it was like a fairytale for India's top shuttler.
"It was truly special. First of all, I could not believe when someone told me that Taufik and I would be together. It was a great feeling just to stand alongside him," Saina said on the sidelines of the function.
Saina and Taufik played an exhibition match with some young badminton players from the CCI.
"But I would have loved to play a game against him (Taufik) on these new courts," she said with a chuckle.
"I was just feeling like any young playeru2026 maybe like a fan. He is a great player and I really admire him.
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"The feeling that I shared the stage with him is still to sink in. I wish I can achieve at least half of what he has so far."
