Young champ dreams of playing for India

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His father, who introduced him to badminton when he was in class IV, could never have imagined the journey this was to take him on.

So skilled did Naveen Roy become at the game that he went on to win several titles in school and the state and is today Kerala’s second seeded player.

His latest win was at the 25th Sub Junior State Shuttle Badminton Championship in Thiruvalla, where he walked away with both the singles and doubles titles.

“I don’t have a hobby other than this game,” admits the little champion, now in class VIII at the St Thomas Residential School, Thiruvananthapuram.

His days are divided between badminton courts and classrooms.

He devotes an hour in the morning and two hours in the evening to his game, every day of the week.

“It is not easy to balance class and practice, but I want to recapture the top slot in the state and am giving it my best shot,” explains Naveen, who is being coached by former state champ, P. Suresh Kumar.

Ask him where he sees himself in future and he promptly replies, “I want to play for my country.”
His favourite player, he reveals, is China’s Olympic gold medalist, Lin Dan.

To Naveen, his family — his father, Roy T Mathew, an assistant manager with the Reserve Bank of India , his mother Sheeba, and his sister Namitha, a B Tech student — is his greatest support , and he counts on it every step of the way .