Kidambi Srikanth

Born on February 7, 1993, in Ravulapalem, Andhra Pradesh, Srikanth Kidambi hails from a Telugu family. His father, KVS Krishna, works as a landlord, while his mother, Radha, is a housewife. Srikanth’s elder brother, K. Nandagopal, is also a skilled badminton player and a junior national champion alongside his sibling. In 2008, Srikanth made the decision to further his badminton training at the esteemed Gopichand Academy.

In 2011, Kidambi Srikanth made a huge impression at the Commonwealth Youth Games, securing a bronze medal in men’s doubles and a silver in mixed doubles. Additionally, he dominated both the singles and doubles events at the All India Junior International Badminton Championship held in Pune. Srikanth’s winning streak continued into 2012 when he defeated Zulfadli Zulkiffli, the then Junior World Champion from Malaysia, during the Maldives International Challenge.

Kidambi Srikanth secured the men’s singles title, outclassing the world number eight player and local favorite, Boonsak Ponsana in the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold 2013. He then clinched his first senior national title at the All India Senior National Championships in Delhi, defeating Parupalli Kashyap, the defending champion and Olympian.

Srikanth’s accomplishments extended to the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he contributed to the Indian team’s journey to the mixed team event semi-finals. He achieved a notable victory at the 2014 China Open Super Series Premier by defeating Lin Dan, the five-time World Champion and two-time Olympic Champion, thus becoming the first Indian men’s player to win a Super Series Premier men’s title.

In 2015, Srikanth added another feather to his cap by becoming the first Indian male player to win the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold as he overcame Viktor Axelsen. He further won at the India Open Super Series by defeating Axelsen once again in the finals. The following year, Srikanth secured the Syed Modi International Badminton Championships Grand Prix Gold title, after finishing as the runner up in the last edition. During the 2016 Rio Olympics, he upset world number five Jan Ø. Jørgensen, reaching the quarterfinals, though he later lost to Lin Dan.

Srikanth continued to dominate the badminton world in 2017 by becoming the first Indian male player to win the Indonesia Super Series. He subsequently won the Australian Super Series, creating an Indian record by reaching three consecutive Super Series Finals. He then joined the ranks of Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan, and Chen Long by becoming the fourth player to win four Super Series titles in a year. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Srikanth played a key role in India’s gold-winning performance in the mixed team event and secured a silver in the singles event. Around this time, he achieved the world number one ranking for a week.

In 2021, Srikanth reached the World Championship finals, another first for an Indian male badminton player, and secured a silver medal. The following year, he was a part of the victorious Indian men’s team at the Thomas Cup 2022, contributing to their win against Indonesia in the final as he defeated Jonatan Christie.

For his accomplishments in the sport of Badminton, Srikanth was awarded the Arjuna award, the second-highest sporting honor of India, in 2015. He then received the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, in 2018.