PULLELA
GOPICHAND
Gopichand is the first Indian Coach to receive an honorable mention in the male category of the prestigious 2019 International Olympic Committee’s Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of role he played in the development of the game in the country.
The IOC Coaches Lifetime Achievement Awards is an initiative of the IOC Athletes’ Entourage Commission to recognize outstanding achievements and contributions a coach has made to develop and encourage athletes in line with the Olympic values in summer or winter Olympic sports.
I’ve been playing sports since an early age, and my competitive edge drove me to pursue training as a career. I draw upon my background in elite sports to help improve the game of my players.
BEST
WORLD RANKING
4
AWARDS
200+
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
20+
STUDENTS
150+
ABOUT GOPICHAND
PULLELA
GOPICHAND
Pullela Gopichand was born on November 16, 1973 to Mr. Pullela Subash Chandra Bose and Mrs. Pullela Subbaravamma at Nagandla, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh and has completed his high school from St. Paul High School & graduation from A.V College in Hyderabad.
Like most Indian kids, Pullela Gopichand too was initially drawn towards cricket and was introduced to badminton by his brother Pullela Rajsekhar, a good badminton player himself. He started to make a mark in the sport by the age of 13 and has made his family & country proud by winning several awards.
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Arjuna Award in the year 2000.
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Rajeev Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in the year 2001.
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Padma Shree Award for the year 2005.
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Dronacharya Award for the year 2009.
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Padma Bhushan Award for the year 2015.
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Coach of the Year 2019 at Sportstar Aces Awards.
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Mentor of the Year 2019 at TOISA.
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Iconic Sports Leader of the Decade’ at the CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Awards.
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Bestowed upon an Honorary Doctorate by Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur.
A professional motivational speaker"
Pullela Gopichand is also a popular professional motivational speaker who is always appreciated for his keynote content & stories which are not only inspiring and practical but also have applications in leadership, growth-mindset, change, teamwork, and overall inspiration.
ABOUT FAMILY
Pullela Gopichand has been blessed with extremely supporting family including his parents Pullela Subhash Chandra & Pullela Subbaravamma, his brother Pullela Rajasekhar, his sister Hima Bindu, his wife P.V.V. Lakshmi, his daughter Gayatri Gopichand and his son Pullela Sai Vishnu.
During his childhood, his family has been his first school and has stood by him at every step. His brother introduced him to the game of badminton when he was more inclined towards cricket and his mother has made many sacrifices for him & still standing behind him.
His wife, a profound & established badminton player of her time has been a big support to him along with his mother and has been instrumental in helping him see his dream come true for his academy.
His children are taking his legacy forward by establishing their credentials in the game of badminton and bringing pride & glory to the family.
CONTRIBUTION TO FIELD
Badminton before 2000 was not recognized as a popular sport. Today Badminton discipline stands 02nd in the most popular sports in the country. The effort by Pullela Gopichand has helped us to win medals at Commonwealth Games Asian Games, World Championships and Olympic Games.
Today, India is recognized a major force in Badminton, and it could not have been possible without the contribution of Pullela Gopichand.
CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY
Pullela Gopichand has also contributed in developing sports in society by encouraging athletes through his foundation called Pullela Gopichand Badminton Foundation. As part of this initiative 40 athletes have been supported and Athletic training imparted to them. The Athletic program was started in the year 2017. As part of this project the athletes have won 330 Medals State Level 70 Medals at National Level and 13 International Medals.
Dutee Chand who is part of this project has won Silver medal in 100m and 200m at Asian Games 2018 become the 1st Indian women to win a Gold medal at 100m category at World university Napoli 2019. She has been residing and training at the Academy since February 2015
N Sreenivas won Gold and Silver medal in Medley relay and 200m and J Deepthi won Silver and Bronze medal in Medley relay and 200m at Asian Youth Athletics Championship 2019 which was held at Hong Kong in March 2019. The Foundation also supported Para and Athletes like Manasi Joshi World Champion 2019, Sukanth Kadam and Vikram Kumar Bronze Medalist at World Championships 2019.
CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY
Represented India in the Thomas Cup.
IOC Coach of the year Award
Runner up in German Open
Won the All England Singles title in 2001
Winner at the Austrian Open
Runner up at French Open
Won the preliminary rounds in the Thomas Cup in 2000 held in India and reached for the Thomas Cup finals
Represented India in the World Championship since 1991 till 2001
Best World ranking No.4.
Ranked in Top 10 during 2000 – 2002 March
Reached semi-finals in the Malaysian Open, Indonesia Open, Asian Championships, Japan Open and IPOH masters.
Runner up at French Open
NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Birla Sports person of the year – 2001
Sports stars Sports person of the year – 2001
Rajeev Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in the year 2001
Arjuna Award Winner in the year 2000
Won several major ranking Tournaments in Lucknow, Hyderabad, Surat, Jamshedpur, Jallandar and Mumbai for Six Years in Continuation.
Won the Senior nationals 1997 to 2001 ( 5 years )
Padmabhushan Award in the year 2014
Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar in the year 2013 for Establishment and Management of Sports Academies of Excellence
Dronacharya Award in the year – 2009
Padma Shree Award in the year – 2005
International Player of the year – 2001