Adita Rao reigns supreme at Parbhani

Adita Rao with her girls U-19 and women`s singles trophies she won at the West Zone Inter State and Zonal Senior Junior Championships at Parbhani, Maharashtra

Shuttler Adita Rao, 18, is happy that her decision to shift her base from Thane to Gujarat last year has paid off. On Saturday, she won girls U-19 and women's singles titles at the West Zone Inter State and Zonal Senior Junior Championships at Parbhani, Maharashtra. In the girls U-19 final, Adita registered a 21-12, 21-5 win over Hrishha Dubey. In the women's singles final she defeated Aishani Tiwari 21-14, 21-19.

In the girls U-19 semis, she ousted top seed Hiral Chouhan 21-12, 21-13 while in the women's singles semi-finals, she defeated top seed Vaidehi Choudhari 21-11, 24-22.

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Adita told www.mid-day.com that she found the women's singles semi-finals tougher than the final. "I am so happy that I won two titles at a zonal event for the first time since I started playing badminton at the age of 12 at the Thane Badminton Academy. At Parbhani, I found the women's singles a bit difficult since I was facing the top seeded Vaidehi [Choudhary]. Thankfully, I won," said the FY BCom student of the Bhikhabhai Jivabhai Vanijya Mahavidyalaya in Anand. Her junior college years were spent at KJ Somaiya College in Mumbai.

Talking about her decision to shift to Anand, Gujarat from Thane, Adita said: "I decided to represent Gujarat since my coach [Amrish Shinde], under whom I have been training for the past three years, shifted his academy from Thane to Anand. Without him I wouldn't have been able to win two titles at Parbhani. The training that I have had with him showed in my performance on Saturday."

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Adita is grateful to her parents [Anand and Manisha] who have sacrificed much to ensure she gets the best in life. "It was very difficult for me initially since I was staying at a girls hostel. The major hitch was food. The Gujarati food that you get here is sweet in taste and there are no proper non-vegetarian restaurants here. So my mother quit her MNC job and came to stay with me. Last year, my father got a corporate job in Bangalore so he is away from us. It hasn't been easy. I wouldn't be able to do what I am without the sacrifices of my parents," explained Adita, who idolises Spanish badminton player Caroline Marin for her on-court aggression and attitude.