It was July 2020, the pandemic was disrupting almost everything, and Anupam Dubey was facing a challenge many parents can relate to: he needed an exciting and safe activity for his kids, and he didn’t want them sitting in front of a TV or video game.
Dubey’s daughter Nishtha suggested something fun, socially distanced, and active: badminton. The family set up a net in the backyard and dad started playing against Nishtha.
At first, younger brother Ketan wasn’t interested. He liked soccer. But Ketan watched his sister play and saw her have success in some local tournaments. He asked if maybe he could try one badminton lesson – just to see if he liked it.
Goodbye, soccer.
“He picked it up very quickly,” Anupam Dubey said. “The coaches were very positive about him being a good learner and being very hard working.”
Two years later, the Park View fourth-grade student is among the seven best under-11 badminton players in the United States, and he’s still only nine years old. This past July, he played 13 matches in seven days at the U.S. Junior National Championships in Texas, earning two bronze medals.
But in his fourth-grade class? You’d hardly suspect the tall, humble kid is a nationally-ranked badminton player. He’s known as the excellent math student who the whole class enjoys being around.
“He’s the student that everyone is friends with because he can work with anyone,” said his teacher, Stephanie Roberts. “It doesn’t matter who he’s sitting next to, he’s interested in what they have to say.”
Roberts had no idea about the badminton success until the class was talking about weekend plans and Ketan mentioned his family was traveling.
For what?, Roberts asked.
Oh, a badminton tournament.
It was not just any tournament. In October, Ketan won both the boys’ singles and boys’ doubles gold medals at the USA Badminton Open Regional Championships in New York.
“You already see that he has so much potential,” Roberts said.
Ketan, who credits his father with teaching him most of his badminton skills, likes the game because it moves fast and to be successful you have to practice, work hard, and focus.
Ketan certainly does that.
Ketan sets his alarm for 6 a.m. so he can get up and do fitness and stretching exercises every day before school.
At the end of the school day, he hustles home, eats healthy food prepared by his mom, and heads to practice at the Midwest Badminton Club, where he plays six days a week.
When he’s not practicing or doing homework, he likes to study video of other players’ footwork.
Ketan’s goals are to be the Junior National Champion and, someday, a badminton professional like his favorite player: Lee Zii Jai of Malaysia.
If badminton doesn’t work out, he’s keeping scientist as a backup career option.
Despite all of his success so far, Ketan’s still working on winning the family championship. Dad and sister Nishtha (an eighth grader at Glen Crest) have the upper hand - for now.
“She beats me all the time,” Ketan said. “I beat her sometimes.”