P. V. V. Lakshmi

Pandimukkala Venkata Vara Lakshmi, better known as P. V. V. Lakshmi, is an eight-time Indian national champion[3] in badminton and represented India in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She is also the wife of Pullela Gopichand.[4] She was the bronze medalist in badminton at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in the Women's Team event.

P. V. V. Lakshmi
Personal information
CountryIndia
Born (1974-11-08) 8 November 1974
Vijayawada, Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh[1]
ResidenceHyderabad, Telangana, India
Height1.7 m (5 ft 7 in)[2]
HandednessRight
Medal record
Representing  India
Women's badminton
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Kuala Lumpur Women's team

Gopichand Badminton Academy

P. V. V. Lakshmi, was very supportive of Gopichand during the formation of Gopichand Badminton Academy and even contributed to the effort of securing monetary support.[5] Despite other donations, Gopichand could only gather US$1.75 million. It was then they decided to mortgage his family home and raise the remaining money for the already delayed project. In 2008, the facility was eventually completed at the cost of $2.5 million.[6] Immediately after the construction, the Government of India sent the Commonwealth Games team to train at this facility. The government increased the daily rate they pay per player to $20 for this special Games camp. This was a big jump from the $5 daily fee per player that the government had previously paid for other training camps.[6]

In 2008, they appealed to Bollywood, the Hindi cinema industry to become badminton's brand ambassador. They felt that by having a popular cinema icon supporting the sport will help popularize it.[7]

Despite Saina Nehwal's success in international tournaments, Gopichand and Lakshmi found it hard to run the Academy. To run it at an optimal level, it requires $300,000 a year. As of 2010, he was making do with $100,000 to pay the training cost for 60 players and was holding off hiring more coaches.[6]

Achievements

IBF International
Women's singles
Year Tournament Opponent Score Result
1999 India International India B. R. Meenakshi 11–7, 4–11, 10–13 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
Women's doubles
Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1998 India International India Madhumita Bisht India Archana Deodhar
India Manjusha Kanwar		 6–15, 15–13, 15–9 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
1999 India International India Archana Deodhar India Trupti Murgunde
India Ketaki Thakkar		 9–15, 15–3, 15–3 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner
Mixed doubles
Year Tournament Partner Opponent Score Result
1998 India International India Vincent Lobo India Vinod Kumar
India Madhumita Bisht		 12–15, 14–17 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Runner-up
1999 India International India J. B. S. Vidyadhar India Vinod Kumar
India B. R. Meenakshi		 17–14, 15–6 1st place, gold medalist(s) Winner

Personal life

P. V. V. Lakshmi married fellow badminton player Gopichand on 5 June 2002.[8] They have two children, a daughter named Gayathri and a son named Vishnu. Her daughter Gayathri, who is the elder of the two siblings, won the 2015 U-13 National Badminton Champion. Her son Vishnu is currently training at Gopichand academy. After marriage, Gopichand concentrated on badminton academy and Lakshmi helped him.[9]

References
  1. Shridharan, J. r (4 January 2012). "Under her watchful eye". Thehindu.com. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. "Pulella Gopichand". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  3. Shridharan, J. r (4 January 2012). "Under her watchful eye". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  4. Tagore, Vijay (22 August 2016). "PV Sindhu has a coach I didn't have, Pullela Gopichand's wife says". Times of India. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  5. A., Joseph Antony (8 April 2004). "Master of multi-tasking". The Hindu.
  6. Anand, Geeta (6 October 2010). "Badminton Academy Trains Saina but Still Struggles". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  7. "'Badminton needs Bollywood brand ambassadors'". The Indian Express. 3 October 2008. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  8. "rediff.com sports: Gopichand to wed PVV Lakshmi". Rediff.com. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  9. "Sindhu has a coach I didn't have - my husband". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
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