Saina Nehwal Turns 34: Indian Shuttler’s Records and Achievements

India’s legendary badminton player Saina Nehwal celebrates her 34th birthday today on March 17. The ace shuttler has enjoyed a phenomenal career playing for India, revolutionising the sport in the country. Saina represented India in multiple premier badminton tournaments while bagging numerous trophies and medals. She is also the only female Indian player to have secured the world number-one spot in the sport.

Saina has played a massive role in inspiring thousands of athletes and youngsters in the country to strive for success. As Saina celebrates her birthday, let us take a deep dive into several interesting facts about the badminton star along with various other records she has achieved.

Keys Facts About Saina Nehwal

Born to Harvir Singh Nehwal and Usha Rani Nehwal in 1990, Saina hails from the Indian state of Haryana. Both her parents are also former state champions in badminton.

In 2018, Saina tied the knot with another prolific Indian badminton player Parupalli Kashyap.

Saina Nehwal was coached by several prolific players of their time including the likes of SM Arif, Pullela Gopichand and U Vimal Kumar.

At one point in her career, she was the highest-earning badminton player in the world with endorsements exceeding a million dollars annually.

Saina Nehwal’s Records and Achievements

1. Saina Nehwal has won a total of 21 international titles in her career.
2. Saina is the first-ever woman badminton player to win the Asian Satellite Badminton Tournament on two occasions.
3. She has won four Commonwealth Games medals including a gold and three bronze finishes.
4. Though Saina’s greatest ever achievement in the sport is winning the Bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics. She scripted history at the sporting mega fest, beating Netherlands’ Yao Jie 21-15, 22-20 to reach the quarterfinals. The then 22-year-old faced China’s top seed Wang Yihan in the semi-finals. She lost that match 13-21, 13-21, to eventually settle for a Bronze medal.
5. Saina Nehwal received the Arjuna Award in 2009 for her contribution to the sport.
6. She was also awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Padma Shri in 2010.
7. In 2016, she also received the prestigious Padma Bhushan award. Saina also released an autobiography named ‘Playing to Win’ to inspire people to develop an interest in sports.