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Pullela Gopichand is the National Badminton coach
Anup Shridhar, who reached a career world rank of 29(as on 23 August 07), says -I have the best people around in Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand to guide me at this stage of my career

Pullela Gopichand --fast facts

Pullela Gopichand
(Born on November 16, 1973, in Nagandla, Andhra Pradesh)

Pullela Gopichand is an Indian badminton player renowned for his remarkable achievements in the sport.

Career Highlights:

• All England Open Badminton Championships (2001)
  Gopichand won this prestigious title by defeating Chen Hong of China in the finals, becoming the second Indian to achieve this feat after Prakash Padukone, who won it in 1980.

• National Championship (1989)
  He won his first singles title at the National Championship in Goa and later claimed the doubles championship as well.

• Five-Time National Champion
  Gopichand has established himself as a five-time National Champion, asserting his dominance in Indian badminton.

• Performance in International Events
  After excelling in the national circuit, Gopichand showcased his talent by reaching the finals of the Indian Open, a Grand Prix event, held in New Delhi in early 1997.
  He has also won gold medals in the SAARC tournaments held in Vijayawada (1996) and Colombo (1997).

• Commonwealth Games (1998)
  He played a crucial role in helping India secure four medals at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, winning a bronze in men's singles and a silver in the team event.

• World Ranking Achievements
  By 1999, Gopichand achieved a world ranking of 26 after winning multiple tournaments, including the Indian International, Scottish Open, and Toulouse Open. He was the runner-up in the French Open Singles in 1999, earning the SAARC gold medal that same year.
  He has a total of four gold medals from the SAARC Games and won the Toulouse Open in France as well as the Scottish Open in Scotland, both in 1999.

• Asian Satellite Tournament
  In 1999, he won the Asian Satellite tournament held in Hyderabad and was the runner-up in the Austrian Open and German Grand Prix in 1998 and 1999, respectively.

• Thomas Cup (2000)
  Thanks to Gopichand's outstanding performance, India reached the final of the Thomas Cup after a gap of 12 years.

• Top Achievements in 2000
  That year, he was the only Indian shuttler to reach the semi-finals of three major Asian events. He defeated world No. 1 Taufique Hidayat of Indonesia in a league match at the Ipoh Masters in November and qualified for the US $350,000 World Grand Prix finals in Brunei in February 2001.
  He also won the Syed Modi Memorial Championship in Lucknow.

• All England Open Badminton Championships (2001)
  Gopichand won this tournament, defeating Olympic Gold medallist Anders Boesen in the quarter-finals, and world No. 1 Peter Gade of Denmark in the semi-finals, before overcoming Chen Hong in the finals.
  He reached a world ranking of 6 in January 2001 and achieved his career-best world ranking of 4 later in the same year.

Awards and Honors:

• Arjuna Award (1999)
  Gopichand was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award for his contributions to Indian sports.

• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2000-01)
  He received India’s highest sporting honor for the year 2000-01.

• Padma Shri (2005)
  Gopichand was awarded the Padma Shri, recognizing his achievements and contributions to Indian badminton.

Coaching and Mentorship:

Pullela Gopichand now runs the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, nurturing future talent in the sport.
In May 2006, he was officially appointed as the coach of the national badminton team.