Bansod aims for good show in team event and have meaningful conversations with elite athletes at Asian Games village in China
India shuttler Malvika Bansod. PIC/Badminton Association of India
- Malvika Bansod wants to make best use of opportunity of being inside the Games Village
- Bansod, 22, is confident of a good show in her first Asian Games team event appearance
- She remarked how having stretched some top shuttlers, has given her much-needed confidence
India shuttler Malvika Bansod wants to make the best use of the opportunity of being inside the Games Village of the ongoing Hangzhou Asian Games.
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Bansod, 22, is confident of a good show in her first Asian Games team event appearance.
“I am nervous, and happy at the same time since this is my first Asian Games. I have been reading so much about different disciplines every day in the newspapers. While I have been a part of the Indian team [Sudirman Cup, Uber Cup], Asian Games [quadrennial event] is a lot different. Here, I will get to stay in the Games’ village and see great athletes in person. I am looking forward to interacting with a few champions. I hope to give my best in the team event. While I will not play in the individual event, being a part of the team event is a very big thing for me,” Bansod told www.mid-day.com.
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Meanwhile, she remarked how having stretched some top shuttlers, has given her much-needed confidence. In the Indonesia Masters Round of 32, she lost to World No. 7 Ratchanok Intanon 15-21, 13-21. In April, she managed a 23-25, 19-21 result against Japanese World No. 2 Akane Yamaguchi. In the Round of 32 at the Korea Open in July against World No. 4 Tai Tzu Ying the scoreline read 17-21, 7-21. “Before the trials in May, I managed to stretch Yamaguchi. I had a tough match against Tai Tzu Ying recently and a couple of more against the best shuttlers in the world. The match experience I got is something that will stay with me. These matches have given me a lot of confidence,” said Bansod.
Asked what are things that she would want to do inside the Games Village when she is not playing, she replied. “While I have played against some of the top players, the one person I would like to interact inside the Games village has to be former World No. 1 Nozomi Okuhara [World No. 29]. The Indian athlete I would want to chat and get valuable tips from is Olympic gold medal-winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra. He has achieved so much for the country. There is so much one can learn from him. The other Indian I would have loved to meet is MC Mary Kom,” signed off Bansod, a BTech final year student of SRM Institute of Science and Technology in Chennai.
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