For the 16-year-old shuttler Maisnam Meiraba (singles player), this year has been phenomenal in terms of overall performance.

Following the recent bronze medal in the Bulgarian junior International, he’s now in Panchkula playing a junior ranking tournament which is also a selection tournament for the upcoming World juniors. There will be another in Bengaluru that he will play as well.

“We have a lot of shuttlers now. The popularity of and interest for the sport has been on the rise,” he says over phone, referring to his home State Manipur that people mostly associate with football.

Boxer Mary Kom and Weightlifter Mirabhai Chanu are a couple of other sportspersons who’ve made their name from the region.

Now Meiraba, though it’s too early, is observed by experts as a potential star player for the future.

Four-in-a-row

Since January, he notably has won four consecutive junior (u-19) ranking tournaments in Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Chennai and Trivandrum, reached the quarterfinals in the German junior International, won bronze in the Yonex-Roza Bty junior International in Thailand, won gold in the White Nights junior International in Russia.

While Meiraba shuttles between Imphal and Bengaluru where he’s been training at the Prakash Padukone Badmintorn  Academy, Samiya Farooqui (16), who won the girls’ singles gold in Bulgaria and is considered as another potential star in the making, hails from and trains in Hyderabad.

She won her maiden junior (u-19) ranking tournament in Chennai early this year. “I would say Meiraba’s is power game, while Samiya’s is an all-round game,” says the junior National coach Sanjay Mishra.

“Meiraba’s strengths are his speed, power, and accuracy. He has to work on fitness; improve his stamina. For instance, to reach the final of, say, a five-day tournament, you need to win four or five matches in a tight schedule.

“Samiya, I think, has to work on power. She’s very good with half smashes; deception, in general. Also, she’s a fighter; doesn’t give up easily, ” he adds.

Meiraba responds saying he’s always been working on his fitness and agrees that he might be found lacking when compared to the other Asian players, especially from China and Indonesia. “They are physically dominating,” he says.

He says he’s particularly been working on his smash and forecourt play for now.

Reducing errors

Samiya, on the other hand, believes she has to work on reducing committing unforced errors.

Samiya, who has been juggling a lot between the junior and senior circuits, will not be available for the World juniors, for she will be focussing on the upcoming senior tournaments in Myanmar and Nepal.

Asked if it’s extra pressure to live up to the big expectation — being considered as potential future stars — both of them say it motivates them and makes them want to maximise their potential. Samiya is even being touted the next Saina Nehwal!

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sports> Other Sports / by S. Prasanna Venkatesan / Chennai – August 15th, 2019