Winning All England Championship most memorable, admits Padukone

Kochi, Oct 13 (UNI) Even after quarter of a century, the applause he received on winning the All England Championship seems afresh as Arjuna awardee Prakash Padukone admitted that the triumph in the Championship was the most memorable moment in his life.

Interacting with school children here Mr Padukone said, ''It was a dream come true for me when I won the Championship in 1980.'' Drawing parallels between the Championship and Wimbledon Tournament in tennis, he said, ''in the formative years of my career the aim was to win the Championship as it was considered the unofficial world badminton tournament.'' Padukone, who is running a 'National Academy for Badminton' in Bangalore, said, local competitions like inter-collegiate and inter-university tournaments should be given a fillip for success in sports in the country.

''In our time these tournaments had great significance and the top players faced the rigours of the local competitions to make it big in the national and international events,'' he noted.

He also stressed the importance of giving more exposure to school and college students for nurturing their raw talent.

When compared with the international players, Indian shuttlers lack in strength and stamina, and this lacuna should be addressed by the authorities concerned, Mr Padukone added.

Padukone was talking to kids after inaugurating the 2nd Inter Engineering College/Inter Alumni Shuttle Badminton Tournament, here.

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