Prannoy H. S. Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 5 ft 10 in |
Weight | 73 kg |
Date of Birth | July 17, 1992 |
Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Prannoy H. S. is an Indian professional badminton player who had scripted history in May 2022 as an integral member of the Indian squad that had won the ‘Gold’ medal at the Thomas Cup (an international biennial badminton competition among men’s teams representing member nations of the BWF (Badminton World Federation), the sport’s global governing body) for the 1st time in history. India had become just the 6th country to lift the prestigious title after Indonesia (14 titles), China (10), Malaysia (5), Denmark (1), and Japan (1). Representing India, he had also clinched the ‘Gold’ medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in the mixed team event and the 2016 Guwahati–Shillong South Asian Games in the men’s team event. He had secured the ‘Silver’ medal at the 2016 Guwahati–Shillong South Asian Games in the men’s singles event and the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games in the boys’ singles event. He had won the ‘Bronze’ medal at the 2018 Wuhan Badminton Asia Championships in the men’s singles event, the 2016 Hyderabad Badminton Asia Team Championships in the men’s team event, the 2020 Manila Badminton Asia Team Championships in the men’s team event, and the 2010 Guadalajara BWF World Junior Championships in the boys’ singles event. In May 2018, he had reached his peak world number 8 position in the official BWF men’s singles rankings.
Born Name
Prannoy Haseena Sunil Kumar
Nick Name
Prannoy
Sun Sign
Cancer
Born Place
Delhi, India
Residence
He splits his time between Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, and Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Nationality
Education
Prannoy had attended the Kendriya Vidyalaya AFS Akkulam (a school of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, a system of central government schools in India) in Thiruvananthapuram.
Occupation
Professional Badminton Player
Family
- Father – P. Sunil Kumar (Former Member of the Indian Air Force)
- Mother – Haseena Kumar (Employee of Kerala State Financial Enterprises, a public sector chit fund & loan company based in Thrissur, Kerala)
- Siblings – Priyanka (Older Sister)
Plays
Right-Handed
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 10 or 178 cm
Weight
73 kg or 161 lbs
Race / Ethnicity
Asian (Indian)
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Toned physique
- Short-cropped, wavy hair
- Affable smile
- Sports a trimmed beard
Brand Endorsements
Prannoy has been sponsored by –
- Mizuno Badminton Asia (a subsidiary of the Japanese sports equipment/sportswear company Mizuno Corporation)
- Ultrahuman (metabolic fitness monitoring mobile application)
Prannoy H. S. Facts
- On the BWF Grand Prix Tour, a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the BWF and played between 2007 and 2017, he had won 3 titles – the 2014 Indonesian Masters, the 2016 Swiss Open, and the 2017 U.S. Open. He had also reached the final of the 2014 Vietnam Open.
- Although Prannoy had started attracting the attention of the badminton world through his performances in the 2014 Vietnam Open and the 2014 Indonesian Masters, he had truly cemented his reputation as a giant killer when he had defeated an in-form world number 2 Jan Ø. Jørgensen in 3 sets in the pre-quarters of the 2015 India Super Series.
- At the 2017 Indonesia Open, he had upset the reigning Olympic ‘Silver’ medalist Lee Chong Wei and the reigning Olympic champion Chen Long in consecutive matches.
- Continuing his love affair with Indonesia, he had defeated reigning Olympic champion, Viktor Axelsen, in the 2nd round of the 2021 Indonesia Masters. Later that year, at the 2021 BWF World Championships, he upset world no. 9 Ng Ka Long in the 1st round and world no. 10 Rasmus Gemke in the pre-quarterfinals.
- As of May 2022, he had reached the final of 1 tournament on the BWF World Tour, a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned (implemented in 2018) by the BWF – the 2022 Swiss Open (Super 300).
- On the BWF International Challenge/Series tier, as of May 2022, he had won the 2014 Tata Open India International. He had also reached the final of the 2011 Bahrain International and the 2013 Tata Open India International.
- In May 2022, during the group stage of the Thomas Cup, he had won his singles match against both Germany and Canada in straight sets as India went on to sweep both those rubbers by a margin of 5-0. In India’s last group stage match, against Taiwan (competing under the name ‘Chinese Taipei’), Prannoy won the last singles match of the rubber to limit India’s margin of defeat to 3-2 as the team ended the group stage in the 2nd position.
- In the quarter-final of the tournament, against 5-time champions, Malaysia, the score was tied 2-2 after 4 matches (2 singles and 2 doubles). Prannoy won the last singles match of the rubber easily (21-13, 21-8) to help India prevail by a 3-2 margin.
- In the semi-final, against former champions Denmark, the script was identical and he was again called up to conjure a victory in the decider. Although he lost the first game (13-21), he held his composure to breeze through the next 2 games (21-9, 21-12) to help India reach the final match of the Thomas Cup for the first time in history.
- In the final of the 2022 Thomas Cup, against hot favorites and 14-time champions Indonesia, Prannoy’s final match heroics were, thankfully for the sake of his nerves, not required. India, for a change, and rather surprisingly, won the opening singles match to lead the rubber by 1-0. The advantage was driven home by the pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty who won their doubles match by a score of 18-21, 23-21, 21-19, in a nail-biting encounter. Srikanth Kidambi then won his singles match in straight sets to secure a 3-0 win and script a golden chapter in the annals of Indian sporting history.
- In August 2023, Prannoy became the 5th Indian man to win a medal at the Badminton World Championship after he won a bronze medal during the semi-final match.
Featured Image by Prannoy H. S. / Instagram