Pullela Gopichand (born 16 November 1973) is a former Indian badminton player and the chief national coach. In 2001 he won the All England Open, only the second Indian to do so after Prakash Padukone. After retiring he built the Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad, which has produced Olympic medallists Saina Nehwal and P. V. Sindhu and made India a major force in the sport. He is the only Indian to have received the Arjuna, Khel Ratna and Dronacharya awards and the Padma Bhushan.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Pullela Gopichand |
| Born | 16 November 1973, Nagandla, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Age | 52 |
| Sport | Badminton |
| Role | Chief national coach (since 2006) |
| Highest ranking | World No. 4 (2001) |
| Spouse | P. V. V. Lakshmi (m. 2002) |
| Children | 2 (Gayatri and Sai Vishnu) |
| Honours | Arjuna Award (1999), Khel Ratna (2001), Dronacharya Award (2009), Padma Bhushan (2014) |
Early Life
Gopichand was born into a middle-class Telugu family; his father worked in a bank. He wanted to be a cricketer, but his elder brother pushed him towards badminton. He trained under S. M. Arif in Hyderabad and later under Prakash Padukone in Bengaluru. He won his first national title in 1996 and held it for five years in a row. A serious knee injury in 1994 required surgery, the first of several operations.
Playing Career
In March 2001 he won the All England Open in Birmingham, beating the world number one Peter Gade in the semi-final and China’s Chen Hong in the final. He won gold with the Indian team and bronze in singles at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. He famously turned down a lucrative offer to endorse a soft drink, saying he would not promote something he considered unhealthy. Injuries ended his playing career in 2003.
Coach
The Andhra Pradesh government gave him land in Hyderabad, and he mortgaged his family home to help pay for the academy, which opened in 2008. His regime of early-morning sessions and strict discipline produced Saina Nehwal, who won Olympic bronze in 2012, P. V. Sindhu, who won silver in 2016 and bronze in 2020, Kidambi Srikanth, Parupalli Kashyap, H. S. Prannoy and the doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. India won the Thomas Cup for the first time in 2022.
Personal Life
He married the former national champion P. V. V. Lakshmi in 2002. Their daughter, Gayatri Gopichand, is an international doubles player.
Awards and Honours
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Pullela Gopichand born?
Pullela Gopichand was born on 16 November 1973 in Nagandla, Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh, India and is 52 years old.
What is Pullela Gopichand’s role?
Role: Chief national coach (since 2006).
What honours has Pullela Gopichand received?
Arjuna Award (1999), Khel Ratna (2001), Dronacharya Award (2009), Padma Bhushan (2014).
Featured image: Pullela Gopichand receives the Dronacharya Award from President Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, 29 August 2009. Photo by President’s Secretariat, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.
