10 Facts About Prakash Padukone

1.

Prakash Padukone was born on 10 June 1955 and is a former Indian badminton player.

2.

Prakash Padukone was ranked World No 1 in 1980; the same year he became the first Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Championships.

3.

Prakash Padukone was awarded the Arjuna award in 1972 and the Padma Shri in 1982 by the Government of India.

4.

Prakash Padukone is one of the co-founders of Olympic Gold Quest, a foundation dedicated to the promotion of Olympic sports in India.

5.

Prakash Padukone's father, Ramesh, was a secretary of the Mysore Badminton Association.

6.

Prakash Padukone changed his playing style into a more aggressive style in 1971, and won the Indian national junior title in 1972.

7.

Prakash Padukone won the National title consecutively for the next seven years.

8.

Prakash Padukone spent much of his international career training in Denmark, and developed close friendships with European players such as Morten Frost.

9.

Prakash Padukone served as the coach of the Indian national badminton team from 1993 to 1996.

10.

Prakash Padukone co-founded Olympic Gold Quest with Geet Sethi, a foundation dedicated to the promotion of Olympic sports in India.