“It is very important for me to find form” - HS Prannoy on his biggest challenge ahead of Paris Olympics 2024
India’s No. 1 badminton player HS Prannoy has mathematically qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024. Notably, a country can secure a maximum of two spots in the singles category in the top 16 rankings to be released on April 28, 2024.
HS Prannoy is currently ranked ninth in the Paris Rankings while Lakshya Sen is at the 12th spot. With only the continental championships remaining before the qualification cycle ends, the duo has all but qualified for the quadrennial event.
Despite earning the qualification, Prannoy has gone through a lot of health issues, including blisters in his leg, and after effects of COVID-19, which hampered his progress this year. With just four months away from the mega event, Prannoy is aiming to get back to his old form, which is currently a big challenge for the ace shuttler.
“Hardly four months away from Paris, and a lot of work to be done. Things have changed big time and, probably, not a good few months for me in 2024 so far. It is very important for me to find that form and basically, It is a challenge for me getting into Paris. [There are] five to six tournaments left, and my focus would be on that. But extremely happy that I could qualify for the first time,” Prannoy told Rev Sportz.
“I want to train here for the Olympics” - HS Prannoy
Furthermore, Prannoy felt he must play high-intensity games to be in the right frame of mind, before moving to the big event in Paris. Additionally, he stressed his plans to train in India before moving to Paris.
“Opportunities of playing high-intensity matches will be key going towards Paris because it will help me to be in the right frame of mind to play matches at such a high level. So, we have to sit down with Gopi sir and the entire team, but I want to train here in India itself because I want to be with my family right before going to Paris," Prannoy continued.
On April 4, Thursday, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) announced both men’s and women’s teams for the upcoming BWF Thomas Cup 2024, set to be played in Chengdu, China from April 27 to May 5.
A 10-member Thomas Cup team will comprise five singles players, including Kiran George alongside HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, and Priyanshu Rajawat. In doubles, Sai Pratheek will serve as a backup player, supporting the two primary pairs: the top-ranked duo Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, as well as MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila.
Notably, the Indian men’s team stole the spotlight in Thailand in 2022 when they defeated Indonesia 3-0 in the final to secure its first-ever Thomas Cup crown.