Prakash Padukone Biography
(Former Indian Badminton Player Who Became the First Indian to Win the All England Open Badminton Championships)
Birthday: June 10, 1955 (Gemini)
Born In: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Prakash Padukone is an Indian former badminton player who co-founded Olympic Gold Quest with Geet Sethi. The foundation aims at the promotion of sports in India. A well-known player from the state of Karnataka, he won the All England Championship in 1980 and became the first Indian to do so. His win proved to be the catalyst that eventually propelled badminton to the status of one of the most popular sports in India. He also has several other glorious titles to his name: World Cup, World Grand Prix, Danish and Swedish Opens. As the son of a badminton enthusiast, he was introduced to the game quite early on by his father. He won the national senior championship in 1971 and over the ensuing years went on to establish himself as one of the best international badminton players of the era. Much of his international career was spent training in Denmark. His passion for the game remained as intense even after his retirement and he proceeded to set up India’s first privately-managed badminton academy, the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy. He also served as the coach of the Indian national badminton team from 1993 to 1996.