16-year-old badminton star Tasnim Mir from Mehsana, Gujarat has done what many sportspersons only dream of doing. Tasnim Mir, a junior category shuttler, has become the world’s number-1 badminton player in the women’s singles category of Under-19.
Tasnim has become the first junior female player from India to achieve this feat. When the junior world rankings started in 2011, Saina was not eligible, while Sindhu has been the world number-2 player.
‘My dream is to win an olympic medal for India’
After achieving this feat, Tasnim Mir said, “I am very happy today and I am going to try and follow in the footsteps of my role models PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal. I am now concentrating on how the seniors play now and am trying to get to compete at that level. I am hoping to win a medal for India at the next Olympics.”
Making ways through financial crisis
Tasnim said that “There was a time when my father had stopped my game due to financial constraints, but after getting the sponsor, my game started again. said that That’s why I have reached this point today.”
She added that “I used to cry a lot after losing a match. I worked very hard to get to where I am today, train about six to seven hours a day. My parents have made a lot of sacrifices for helping me and my brother in our sport.”
Her father Irfan said that Tasnim started playing badminton at the age of six. There was a point when he had considered asking her to stop playing but she could continue after receiving sponsorship. “Now we hope that she becomes a senior champion as well and win for the country at the Olympics,” he said. He is a badminton coach and works for the Mehsana police.
Tasnim has so far won 22 tournaments in different categories. She has also been the Asian champion twice in singles.