Star shuttler Saina Nehwal announces separation from Parupalli Kashyap after nearly seven years of marriage
Saina took to Instagram to release a brief statement announcing her divorce from Kashyap, which came nearly seven years after their 2018 marriage.
'Life takes us in different directions sometimes. After much thought and consideration, Kashyap Parupalli and I have decided to part ways. We're choosing peace, growth, and healing - for ourselves and each other. I'm grateful for the memories and wish nothing but the best moving forward. Thank you for understanding and respecting our privacy during this time,' Saina wrote on Instagram.
Hailing from Haryana, Saina caught everyone's attention after winning the BWF World Junior Championships in 2008, early in her career. In the same year, she went on to make her first Olympic appearance but had to wait for another four years to bag a medal in the Summer Games.
In 2008, she became the first Indian woman to reach the Olympic quarter-finals. She defeated, then-world number five Wang Chen of Hong Kong but lost to Indonesia's Maria Kristin Yulianti.In 2009, Saina became the first Indian to win a BWF Super Series event.
Her remarkable efforts were recognised as she was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2009 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2010. The shuttler has had a phenomenal career for India, transforming the sport in the country. Saina represented India in several premier badminton competitions, winning various trophies and medals.
She is also the only female Indian player to hold the world No.1 ranking in the sport. Saina has played a significant role in inspiring thousands of athletes and youth in the country to strive for success.
Kashyap is a 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist. This was the first instance in 32 years of an Indian badminton player winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal. He trained under both former All-England champions Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand.
He is also the first Indian male badminton player to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympics, a feat he achieved during the Summer Games in 2012. Kashyap stormed to his career-best world ranking of six in 2013, but struggled to maintain it due to constant injuries. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
44 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Usyk vs Dubois 2 — From Ukraine to Wembley, heavyweight fight attracts war veterans from thousands of miles
Ukrainian coal miner Andrii's face lights up when he talks about meeting Oleksandr Usyk. 'Wow!' the 36-year-old says in English. Andrii and more than a dozen other war veterans will be on hand when Usyk faces Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night in the pair's fight to become the undisputed world heavyweight champion. It's a rematch of their 2023 bout that Andrii viewed under vastly different circumstances. 'I watched this fight on the front line on my phone,' he told The Associated Press through an interpreter during a stop Friday at the Ukrainian Embassy in London. 'We were watching very quietly, but when he won, there was loud noise — we really celebrated. 'So now, two years later, being here in person for the fight is a huge event.' He spoke on condition that only his first name be used, citing security concerns. The veterans are employees of Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK, which has partnered with Usyk to raise awareness about the plight of the country's civilian energy infrastructure since the Russian invasion in February 2022. Most of them, including Andrii, had never travelled outside Ukraine before. They took a train to Warsaw and from there a flight to London, landing on Thursday and going straight to a downtown hotel to meet Usyk. 'He told about his training sessions, how he prepared for the fight, but he also mentioned his journey from his childhood to becoming champion,' Andrii said. 'He's an ambassador of Ukraine, and he supports energy workers. He can bring attention to the problem.' RELATED: Usyk vs Dubois 2 LIVE streaming info — Where to watch; All you need to know; Boxing record Russia has repeatedly struck Ukraine's power grid during the war. At one point, 90% of DTEK's thermal generation capacity was damaged or destroyed. More than 300 DTEK workers have been killed in the war, and 900 more injured, mostly while fighting. Andrii, who lives about 70 kilometres (44 miles) from the front line in eastern Ukraine, had served two years in combat and described his injuries — a concussion and taking shrapnel in his right leg from an exploding land mine — as 'minor.' Like so many other Ukrainians, he's lost friends and loved ones. The bright lights and modern infrastructure of England's iconic stadium will be a welcome change for the veterans. The 38-year-old Usyk, an Olympic gold medalist from the 2012 London Games, has embraced his unofficial ambassadorial role for his country. 'All of my fights are important for me and my team,' he said Thursday. 'Now, it's very important to my country and the soldiers who protect my country because it's motivation for my people.' Earlier in the week, Usyk joined billionaire Richard Branson to unveil a mosaic in Trafalgar Square as part of an effort to raise funds for housing for Ukrainians. 'Russia destroyed hospitals, Russia destroyed schools, Russia destroyed lives — Ukrainian lives,' the undefeated Usyk told the gathering. 'But we will survive.'
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Mohammed Shami set for domestic comeback, named in Bengal's probables: Reports
After being axed from the Indian Test team for the England tour, veteran Indian pacer Mohammed Shami is likely to make his in domestic cricket after reportedly being named in Bengal's list of 50 probables for the upcoming domestic season. Shami could potentially be a part of the East Zone in the season-opening Duleep Trophy as per ESPNCricinfo. The Duleep Trophy will kick off on August 28, and the tournament, back to its old inter-zonal format, could well mark Shami's comeback to competitive cricket if selected in the team. The line-up of probables for Bengal includes all the expected names, including Abhimanyu Easwaran, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, Shahbaz Ahmed and Abishek Porel. Shami was excluded from the 18-player Indian squad for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy after the BCCI's medical team informed the Indian board that the 34-year-old pacer won't be able to bowl longer spells. Shami had undergone ankle surgery in 2024, which halted his cricket for nearly a year. He made his comeback earlier this year through the T20 format and was later part of the Champions Trophy, where he finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker for India with mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. He then played IPL 2025 for Sunrisers Hyderabad, but his performance did not match his usual high standards. The Bengal pacer had missed key events for India, including last year's T20 World Cup in Australia and the West Indies, and also the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia in recent months. 'I waited for an entire year and I worked very hard. There was a sense of fear even while running about what will happen or what will not happen. It's very difficult for any player to get injured while he is in full flow. Then go to the NCA for rehabilitation and make a comeback. When you go through injuries, I feel you grow stronger as an athlete. Because you have to repeat a lot of things while being mentally strong,' Shami had told BCCI TV in an interview post his recovery.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Las Vegas Freestyle Chess: Arjun Erigaisi Stumbles In Semifinals Against Levon Aronian
Last Updated: Aronian registered a 2-0 triumph over Erigaisi in the final-four encounter on American soil. Indian GM Arjun Erigaisi slipped to a defeat at the hands of Levon Aronian on Saturday in the semifinal encounter between the players at the Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour. Aronian registered a 2-0 triumph over Erigaisi in the final-four encounter on American soil. With the triumph, Aronian has now got the better of World No.1 Magnus Carlse, No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura and No.5 Pragg at the ongoing evet in LV. Out Of Steam After defeating Magnus Carlsen in the play-off for a top-four spot in the prelims and Hikaru Nakamura in the quarterfinals, Arjun Erigaisi failed to convert his chances in the first game against Levon Aronian. Despite facing a difficult position, Aronian held firm and was rewarded when Arjun could not capitalise on his advantage. In the return game, needing only a draw to advance, Aronian played subtly to gain a slight advantage from the opening. As the game settled into a balanced position, it seemed headed for a draw. However, Arjun, requiring a win to stay in the match, took unwarranted risks that cost him dearly. Hans Niemann of the United States was the other player to reach the finals, defeating compatriot Fabiano Caruana. Despite arriving slightly late for the first game, Niemann managed to draw it. Two more draws followed before the younger American outmanoeuvred Caruana with some finely crafted middlegame play. R Praggnanandhaa, who had bowed out of the title race, defeated Vincent Keymer of Germany in the playoff for 3rd-8th place. Praggnanandhaa drew the first game as Black and outplayed Keymer in the return game to register a 1.5-0.5 victory. World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen also won by the same margin against Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan. In other matches, Wesley So of the United States defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan 3-1, while in an all-American duel, Hikaru Nakamura crushed Leinier Dominguez Perez 2-0. Semifinals Results: Arjun Erigaisi (Ind) lost to Levon Aronian (USA) 0-2 Fabiano Caruana (USA) lost to Hans Moke Niemann (USA) 1.5-2.5 Other results: Leinier Dominguez Perez (USA) lost to Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 0-2 Magnus Carlsen (Nor) beat Javokhir Sindarov (Uzb) 1.5-0.5 R Praggnanandhaa beat Vincent Keymer 1.5-0.5 Wesley So (USA) beat Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzb) 3-1 First Published: July 19, 2025, 08:04 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
