The joy on coach L. Raju’s face was palpable as he greeted his ward, Thulasimathi Murugesan, at the Gopichand Academy. Thulasimathi, the only Indian woman para shuttler to win a silver medal at the Paralympics, had just returned from Paris, a beacon of triumph. Raju recounted the arduous journey, a testament to Thulasimathi’s relentless spirit. “It has been an amazing story of grit and determination. I remember she was often crying in pain during the training sessions. I felt sorry for her, but our objective was to win medals at the highest level. We ensured the training continued,” he recalled in a conversation with Sportstar.
Thulasimathi’s journey to the silver medal was paved with hard-fought victories. She overcame her compatriot, Manisha Ramdass, in a straight-game win in the semifinals, securing her place in the gold medal match. Manisha went on to claim the bronze medal in the women’s SU5 category. “Well, when she joined me about two years ago, Thulasi was yet to win a medal. But, I am glad that after joining us (at Gopichand Academy), she won a gold, silver and bronze in the last Para Asiad,” said Raju, a 35-year-old coach from Kadapa with a postgraduate degree in Physical Education, Yoga, Strength and Conditioning, currently pursuing his doctorate.
Prior to the Paris Paralympics, Thulasimathi and her doubles partner, Manasi Joshi, had clinched the silver medal in the BWF World Para Badminton World Championships in Thailand. This, Raju believes, was a clear reflection of Thulasimathi’s “remarkable spirit”.
Raju explained how Thulasimathi’s congenital deformity in her left hand, resulting in the loss of a thumb and chronic ulnar neuritis and muscle atrophy, presented a unique challenge. “In badminton, when you have a left hand handicapped, it is all the more difficult to play those forehand smashes. So, depending on her needs, we designed a Thulasi-centric training and physical conditioning programme including sand training, weight training and medicine balls which really worked wonders.”
“The sparring partners were regular players for Thulasi has to compete on full-courts,” he added.
In the final, the shuttler from Tamil Nadu’s Kanchipuram faced off against Xia Qui Yang of China, ultimately falling short 17-21, 10-21, settling for the silver medal. “The biggest challenge for me was to ensure that the training load was near-perfect for overloading will lead to injuries which also mean late recovery and reducing it might not yield the results too. So, it was a very difficult balancing act and hats off to her she responded in style,” said Raju, who also guided para shuttler Manasi Joshi to World championship gold in 2019.
Raju acknowledged the crucial support of Pullela Gopichand, SAI athletics coach N. Ramesh, and Rajender, another coach at the academy. He also highlighted the invaluable contribution of Gopichand’s mother, Subbaravamma, who provided Thulasimathi with unwavering support allowing her to fully focus on her training.
“I feel that after a certain stage once an athlete masters the basics and skills, the focus has to be more on fitness and unless one maintains that, it is never easy to be consistent even if you have the game,” Raju said. “I have a few more para shuttlers and the dream is to produce more Paralympics medallists,” he concluded with a satisfied smile.
