On any given evening, the current lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak probably being the only exception, the badminton courts of the PJ Hindu Gymkhana in Mumbai are packed with middle-aged men and women having a good time playing the sport.
In between all the hullabaloo and fun, a gentleman sporting a French beard is not only mesmerising them with the quality of his strokes, but also giving tips and trying to help them improve the standard of play.
The respect for the former India international is clearly visible, but not many playing there probably know that Leroy D’sa, the jovial doubles partner for many, holds a unique record in Indian badminton.
The 66-year-old is the only Indian badminton player to have won three medals in one Asian Games edition and has a total of four medals in his trophy cabinet, highest so far.
In fact, till PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal clinched the women’s singles silver and bronze medals respectively in 2018, India’s only individual medals had come in the 1982 editions at home and D’sa claimed two of the three bronze the Indian contingent won. While Syed Modi finished on the podium in men’s singles, D’sa joined hands with Pradeep Gandhe in men’s doubles and Kanwal Thakar Singh in…
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