Scoring high on safety

BENGALURU: India’s junior shuttler Maisnam Meiraba Luwang was set to meet his family members in Manipur. His flight from Bengaluru, where he trains at Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, was booked for March 26. But his plans crumbled a day before his scheduled departure when the nationwide lockdown was announced to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

With COVID-19 becoming a huge problem, the sporting world has also come to a standstill and tournaments have been cancelled. But the Manipuri sportsperson is aware of the big challenge the world faces, which is more important. “We, the athletes, may not be playing any tournaments, but at this point in time, such things are not so important. We have to understand the prevailing situation throughout the world, which is a bigger issue everywhere. It is better to stay indoors and remain safe,” the junior world No. 2 said.

Back home, his parents are a bit worried, especially with the rising number of cases in Karnataka. They ask him to come to Manipur for sometime, if possible, after the lockdown is over. But Maisnam does not think it is a good idea to go back even if travel restrictions are lifted. The shuttler wants to make up for the time lost and resume training when it is safe to do, rather than taking the risk of flying home.

“I can go to Manipur if I want, but I think I will stay here in Bengaluru. Even after the lockdown ends, it might still not be safe to go to the airport. It is better for me to be safe and train here for the future tournaments as I have not trained properly for a long period now,” he says. Maisnam takes his training seriously, which has helped him become one of the best junior players in the world. He started the year with a bang, winning the Nepal Junior International Series in January. But it was last year, where he impressed most with three international titles under his belt and a runner-up finish too.

These days, the 17-year-old is locked indoors, doing some workouts to improve upon his fitness, which becomes important at this hour when there is no on-court practice. At times, he also goes for a light running session at night inside the academy compound, and watches movies too. “I am also looking at matches of quality badminton players over the internet. I am primarily watching videos of Lee Chong Wei, Lin Dan and Kento Momota and trying to learn new things,” says  Maisnam, who is clueless about his next tournament. He will only come to know about it after the COVID-19 situation gets better throughout the world.