KATHMANDU, July 11: Youth badminton sensation Dipesh Dhami will remain busy training abroad throughout the remaining months of the year.Dhami, 15, from Mahendranagar, Kanchanpur came to limelight two years ago after defeating Nepal No 1 Bikash Shrestha. Dhami has got scholarship worth $ 3000 from Badminton Asia Confederation (BAC). [break]Dhami returned Kathmandu on Sunday evening after an 11-day training in China and participation in Asian U-19 Badminton Championship in South Korea.
After spending a day in his home land, Dhami will leave for training in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Tuesday. After training there until August 29, Dhami will arrive in Pune, India on same day to compete in the Asian International Junior Championship.
After competing in Pune for three days Dhami will return to Malaysia and remain busy training until the last week of November. Dhami will finally return home after competing in Youth International Badminton Championship to be held in Singapore from November 26 to December 2.
According to Ramji Shrestha, general secretary of Nepal Badminton Association (NBA), Dhami was the only player to be selected from South Asian region.
Dhami was awarded scholarship by BAC some one and a half years ago after undergoing training in Mirpur, Bangladesh as U-15 player. Dhami was declared the best player in the 15-day Junior Training Camp of South Asian countries. After his best run in the training, Dhami was selected for Asian Development Team.
NBA awarded scholarship to Dhami as an encouragement to win medal in the South Asian Games, said NBA President Ramesh Shrestha.
While Dhami was still to turn 12, he had won the title of U-16 National Badminton Championship held in the capital. Dhami also holds the record of being youngest national champion.
Soon after winning the U-16 title, Dhami competed in the U-16 Asian Championship held in Sri Lanka which was his first international participation. "Rather than winning medal, getting knowledge about international tournament was an achievement for me then," said Dhami.
The match in Sri Lanka was his first experience of playing on mat. "I had an inexpensive dress that I bought myself and only one racket."
When Dhami pressed his parents to send him for training abroad, his father couldn´t refuse and sent his son to Hyderabad, India on his own expenses.
After training in India, Dhami won gold medal in team event during the Sixth National Games held some five months ago in far-western region. Dhami, however, lost 2-1 to Nepal no 1 Bikash Shrestha in the final of men´s singles category.
Dhami was also selected for a badminton tournament organized by BAC after he won U-17 title of Krishna Mohan Shrestha Memorial Badminton Tournament in 2066 BS. But citing financial crunch, NBA did not send Dhami to compete in the tournament.
Dhami has now arrived in the capital for higher education and he has received scholarship from White Gold International Higher Secondary School, New Baneshwar. "I am buying badminton kits after I receive scholarship," Dhami said. "The players are sent directly to compete in tournaments without training. Players therefore find it difficult to bring home medals."
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