Saina Nehwal reveals UNTOLD story about her mother, ‘she told me I’ll be Olympian and world champ’

India’s badminton icon Saina Nehwal opened up about her mother’s guidance, childhood struggles, and her rise to Olympic and BWF success at the WION World Pulse Summit 2026

Saina Nehwal, World Pulse Summit 2026, Indian Badminton, Olympic Medalists India, Pullela Gopichand, Prakash Padukone — Picture Credit: X (formerly twitter)

India’s badminton icon Saina Nehwal was felicitated with the “WION Icon Award” at the World Pulse Summit held in New Delhi on Wednesday, March 18. 2012 Olympic bronze medalist, Saina has created history in Indian badminton, becoming the first Indian women to attain the world number one ranking in 2015. Before her, only legendary Prakash Padukone had reached the top spot among Indian men.

Saina Nehwal is the only Indian player to have won at least one medal in every major individual badminton tournament organized by the Badminton World Federation. But beyond the stats, Saina Nehwal has also motivated a whole new generation of young Indian women to take up the sport of badminton.

Saina Nehwal credits mother for inspiring her Olympic and World Champion dreams

During the ‘World Pulse Summit,’ Saina credited her mother for her journey to international success. She started her badminton career at a time when there were no female role models in the sport in India. At that time, it was her mother who inspired her to dream big – to become an Olympian and a World Champion – instilling the confidence and determination that would guide her throughout her career.

Saina Nehwal transformed the shared dream of herself and her mother into a remarkable reality by showcasing relentless courage, strong determination, and intense training,
“It is all because of my mother. It is because of her that she stands today as the country’s biggest female superstar in the world of badminton.”

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She further said, “I loved sports.” “We always obeyed our mother, because we could never bring ourselves to say ‘no’ to her. My mother used to tell me, ‘You will become an Olympian, and a World Champion as well.’ I simply couldn’t believe her.”

Saina Nehwal reflects on childhood struggles and lack of training facilities

Saina Nehwal also spoke about the challenges she faced growing up, noting that unlike today’s highly professionalized sports environment, she had little access to proper training facilities or support during her childhood.

“At that time, I didn’t have a trainer or a physiotherapist,” Saina recalled, “but it is solely thanks to my mother and Gopi Sir (Pullela Gopichand) that I have been able to reach this far. I didn’t have a female role model to look up to for inspiration, so I regarded Prakash Sir as my idol.”

Sania reflecting on badminton’s rising popularity in India, and said, “In India, badminton is the second most popular sport (after cricket). I hope that we set our sights on hosting the Olympic Games in India in 2036. If that happens, India should aim to win the highest number of medals in this sport.”

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The Times Of Bengal