Saina Nehwal Birthday: Brown Belt In Karate To 1st Medal At 15, 7 Facts About India’s Top Shuttler
“I love winning more than I love playing badminton” this quote from the badminton champion Saina Nehwal shows the hunger and conviction that she has for the game.
Saina might have just 33 today, but she is one of the fiercest badminton players and has more than 24 international titles to her name.
You might not know this, but badminton was not even the first sport that Saina used to play, it was Karate, and there are many more unknown facts about the champion shuttler.
Table of Contents
Here Are 7 Interesting And Unknown Facts About Saina Nehwal
1. Her First Sport
Before playing badminton, she used to play Karate and was even a champion in it.
Saina also has a brown belt in Karate.
2. Saina’s Commonwealth Medals
Saina has a total of four medals in the Commonwealth Games – one gold and three bronze.
3. Her Ice-Cream Love
Every time Saina wins a game, she celebrates it by treating herself with loads of Ice-Cream.
4. The Million-Dollar Endorsements
At one point in her badminton career, Saina was the highest-paid badminton player in the whole world, with endorsement deals worth more than a million dollars annually.
5. The Sacrifice
Saina’s father, Harvir Singh, had to sacrifice a lot of things to give her the kind of training she received.
Harvir Singh didn’t have enough money but always managed it either by borrowing or taking a loan. As a result, Saina never fell short of money for training.
6. The Autobiography
Saina even wrote her autobiography, Playing to Win, to inspire people to develop an interest in sports.
7. The Film
There was also a film made about her life titled Saina which starred Parineeti Chopra and showed her incredible badminton journey.