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In Pullela Gopichand India has found a player capable of filling the void of the post-Prakash Padukone era. Gopichand, born on November 16, 1973, made his mark at the national level in 1989 when he won the national championship held in Goa.
After doing well in the national circuit, Gopi Chand produced further proof of his class by reaching the finals of the Indian Open, a grand prix event, held in New Delhi in early 1997. He played a stellar role in helping India put up a great show at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur where they picked up four medals.
Gopichand then shifted base to Europe to gain more international exposure and played in the German League for a couple of seasons. The stint did a world of good to his fitness and stamina and it started showing in his game. In 2000, riding piggyback on Gopi's performance, India reached the final of the Thomas Cup after a gap of 12 years.
In 2001, Gopichand won the All-England Open Badminton Championship defeating Chen Hong of China in the finals, thus becoming the second Indian to achieve this feat after Prakash Padukone. En route to the final, Gopichand overcome a stiff challenge from top-seed Peter Gade of Denmark in the semi final.
