In March of 2024, Anmol Kharb had been the toast of the nation, a badminton national champion at 16, and taking India to Asian team gold, scalping Top 30 names, when ranked outside of 300. In March of 2025, Anmol was back home in Faridabad, healing from a painful injury, staring at first-round exits impatiently, and resuming academics to keep her sane and on track when she couldn’t give badminton a 100 percent.
This afterthought of studies saw her tick the box of her Class 12 boards, and end up with mixed numbers. She scored 91 per cent in Humanities, but “only 92/100” in Physical Education for which she had studied hard. She took it badly. “There was 97/100 in Typography and Computer Application, an optional subject everyone told me not to bother studying. And 92 in English. I was expecting 98. Just some grammar mistakes. But 93 in Physical Education was a shock, it was my subject,” she recalls in horror.
Indian badminton will be grateful for the shock she felt. It strengthened her resolve to hit back, with stinging angry power – on the badminton court.
On Friday, playing the Super 500 Arctic Open at Vantaa in Finland, the World No 62 reached the semifinals, beating Amelie Schulz 21-15, 21-14. This came after two Top 35 wins, against Wen Chi Hsu (No 32) and 6th seed Lin Hsiang Ti (World No 21). There’s World champion, Akane Yamaguchi next, but Anmol reckons things are on track to return to being the feisty Faridabadi fighter she was when she broke out on the Indian scene.
Beating Lin 23-21, 11-21, 21-18 in 77 minutes had been tough because the Taiwanese was pretty experienced and riding on confidence. But the Round of 16 got tricky when Wen won the opener. “I’d thought I could win but I lost the first set. I kept on going. In the third she was taking pressure and I was very confident. I just told myself after losing first set ti forget about it, and that it’s a new beginning, a fresh start,” she says of the 18-21, 21-18, 21-17 win.
Against Schulz, the assurance of having beaten the tall Dane twice before, helped, as Anmol was back to her ability to scatter the shuttle around the court and impart angles that can be disorienting to opponents. Anmol has always held the ability to summon various strokes to dish out different lengths on her return and draw out errors. This week, she has been employing that light-footed game, though Yamaguchi will test her with simplicity of her carnage.
But returning to peak competition, playing top players feels good, she says. “After my injury I was back to my regimen in Hyderabad, but I wanted to finish off my 12th boards. After not playing well on the circuit, I told myself now it’s time to practice hard. I had been demotivated after 2-3 tournaments with nothing happening and not getting results. But slowly I was back. I was also aware that I was playing opponents far more senior to me and results were like losing 22-20, 21-19,” she recalls.
Story continues below this ad
She would move to training closer home in Haryana, with coach Subhash Bisht. And finally catch a break at the cold Arctic Open. Her peers have been battling back in Guwahati at the World Juniors for which she was eligible. But then, Anmol always does her own thing, and keeps an eye on the numbers. What’s next? “BA in English literature. I expected just 85%, but I was at practice the day 12th board results came and my mother said, ‘it’s OK, you can take a small break because hard work has given results’. I said, ‘Chalo, finally!’ We even partied that evening.”
On Saturday, she heads into another test where anything less than 100% won’t suffice. “Let’s see. I’ll fight.”
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
