Gaurav Khanna (badminton)

Shri Gaurav Khanna (born 11 December 1975) is an Indian para-badminton team's head coach. Khanna has been widely recognized as the man behind the rise of para-badminton in the country. Khanna encountered several trials and tribulations during his youth and early life, but his desire propelled him onward, and despite all obstacles, he emerged as a selfless individual driven to make a positive difference in the lives of others. His chronicle of battles that led to him becoming a role model for society is also included in the National Geographic documentary series #One For Change and Samarth Series by Hundai in association with NDTV.[1]

Gaurav Khanna
Gaurav Khanna is the National head coach of Indian para-badminton team
Personal information
SpouseMohita Khanna
Sport
CountryIndia
SportPara-badminton
TeamIndian para-badminton team
Now coachingSuhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, Chirag Baretha, Sivarajan Solaimalai, Nithya Sre Sivan, Mandeep Kaur, Pramod Bhagat, Rohit Bhaker, Nilesh Gaikwad, Abu Hubaida, Prem Ale, Sukant Kadam, Palak Kohli, Raj Kumar, Parul Parmar, Manoj Sarkar

Awards and Honours

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National Awards

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State Awards

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Other Awards

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He is first Para Sports Coach of the country to be conferred with Padma Shree Award 2024.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] In 2020, he became the first Para Sports Coach in the country to be honored with Dronacharya Award for his exceptional contribution to para badminton.[18][19] He is the first Para Coach from UP to have received the highest civilian honor of the state - “Yash Bharti” from CM of UP Government in the field of badminton.[20][21][22][23][24][25]

Coaching Career

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He established the country's first Para Badminton academy namely, Gaurav Khanna Excellia Badminton Academy.[26][27] The Indian Para Badminton team has won a total of 1021 medals (276 golds, 287 silvers, and 458 bronzes) in BWF-recognized international tournaments since 2015, following his nomination as Head National Coach. These competitions include the Asian Para Games, World Championships, and Tokyo Paralympics. Many of his trainee athletes are among the best in the world and have won the nation's greatest athletic honors.

He has coached Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj[28] Abu Hubaida,[29][30][31] Palak Kohli,[32] Chirag Baretha,[33] and Prem Kumar Ale.[34]

Medal Tally of Indian Para Badminton Team

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The Indian Para Badminton Team, under guidance and training of Para coach Shri Gaurav Khanna, has won the following medal.

Uganda Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2024 14 9 25 48

4 Nations Para Badminton International Level 1

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2024 3 7 4 14

Bahrain Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2024 4 6 11 21

Spanish Para Badminton International Level 1

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2024 5 5 7 17

Spanish Para Badminton International Level 2

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2024 6 6 10 22

Para Badminton World Championship

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2024 3 4 11 18

Egypt Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2024 7 9 15 31

Dubai Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2023 1 5 8 14

Japan Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2023 4 4 10 18

Asian Para Games

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2023 4 4 13 21

Western Australia Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2023 5 6 9 20

4th Nations Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2023 3 5 10 18

Uganda Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2023 13 12 17 42

Canada Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2023 5 5 10 20

Bahrain Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2023 3 8 12 23

Thailand Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2023 4 4 8 16

Brazil Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2023 8 7 13 28

Spanish Para Badminton International(Level 1)

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2023 4 2 4 10

Spanish Para Badminton International(Level 2)

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2023 4 7 7 18

Para Badminton World Championship

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2022 2 2 12 16

Uganda Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2022 12 14 16 42

Indonesia Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2022 0 2 1 3

Thailand Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2022 4 5 8 17

Ireland Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2022 2 4 5 11

Canada Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2022 2 1 6 9

4thFazza Dubai Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2022 5 5 7 17

Bahrain Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2022 7 3 13 28

Brazil Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2022 8 7 13 28

Spanish Para Badminton International (Level 1)

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2022 5 6 9 20

Spanish Para Badminton International (Level 2)

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2022 11 7 16 34

Asian Youth Para Games Bahrain

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2021 4 7 4 15

Uganda Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2021 16 14 17 47

Tokyo Paralympics

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2021 2 1 1 4

Dubai Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2021 5 6 10 21

Peru Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2020 7 5 3 15

Brazil Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2020 4 5 2 11


Japan Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2019 2 1 4 7

Denmark Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2019 2 4 4 10

China Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2019 2 1 3 6

Thailand Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2019 3 4 6 13

Para Badminton World Championship

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2019 3 4 5 12

Irish Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2019 4 3 5 12

Canada Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2019 3 2 4 9

Uganda Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2019 11 8 8 27

Dubai Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2019 4 3 2 9

Turkish Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2019 3 5 3 11

IWAS world games

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2019 4 3 3 10

Australia Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2018 2 2 2 6

Denmark Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2018 3 0 3 6

Asian para games

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2018 3 0 6 9

Japan Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2018 1 1 2 4

Brazil Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2018 1 3 0 4

Thailand Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2018 2 1 3 6

Irish Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2018 0 1 1 2

Turkish Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2018 1 1 4 6

Uganda Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2018 4 3 3 10

Dubai Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2018 2 5 9 16

Spanish Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2018 2 1 3 6

Asian Youth Para Games Dubai

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2017 0 2 1 3

Para Badminton World Championship

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2017 2 2 6 10

Japan Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2017 2 3 3 8

USA Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2017 1 3 1 5

Uganda Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2017 5 6 4 15

Thailand Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2017 2 3 2 7

Spanish Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2017 0 0 2 2

Turkish Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2017 2 2 0 4

Indonesia Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2016 1 0 2 3

Irish Para Badminton International

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2016 0 2 5 7

Asian Para Badminton Championship

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2016 4 2 7 13

Para Badminton World Championship

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Year Gold Silver Bronze Total
2015 4 3 5 12


GKEBA

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The Gaurav Khanna Excellia Badminton Academy boasts two high-quality mat courts and two wooden courts, providing athletes with the perfect environment to hone their skills and master the game. A fully equipped gym enables athletes to strengthen their bodies and enhance their performance under the guidance of expert trainers. A wellness area, in which Athletes can rejuvenate and recover which includes sauna baths, steam baths, and ice baths, essential for post-training relaxation and muscle recovery. A dedicated physiotherapy room ensures that athletes receive top-notch medical care and rehabilitation services to prevent injuries and optimize their physical well-being.

GKEBA has been awarded with "BEST ACADEMY AWARD" by The Radient Differently Abled Sports Award, 2023.[35][36][37][38]

The GKEBA is dedicated to differently abled athletes, where all categories of athletes, including Polio affected, hearing impaired, accidental injured, injured army personnel in wheelchairs, dwarfs, neuro damaged athletes, and others, not only practice together for free, but also receive education under the dome of Excellia. These athletes stay in Shri Gaurav Khanna's house in Omaxe City, Lucknow. This residence is also known as the "Drona Paralympic House" among para athletes.[39][40]

Professional Life

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Shri Khanna has diverse credentials in Badminton. Other than being an established high-performance coach, Shri Khanna is a Qualified International Umpire and Qualified International Referee of Badminton Asia, having travelled throughout the world to officiate and represent the country in over 100 international sporting events. At several national and international multisport events in India and abroad, Shri Khanna has held positions as Competition Director, Competition Manager, Live Scorer, Match Controller, and Technical Official.

Personal Life

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It is commonly acknowledged that Shri Gaurav Khanna is the driving force behind the growth of para badminton in the nation. Shri Khanna, who was born on 11 December 1975, went through many hardships in his early years. However, his passion kept him moving forward, and in spite of all of these setbacks, he became a selfless person who was determined to improve the lives of others. The National Geographic documentary series #One For Change tells his account of the struggles that propelled him to become a social role model. He has made a noteworthy contribution to the promotion of sports among the disabled and their advancement from grassroots to the Deaflympics and Paralympics with his versatile talent and outstanding services as a social worker, professional coach, technical official, organizer, and expert.

Shri Khanna has completed his education from KVS, RDSO, Lucknow, received his B.COM degree (1995), Bachelor of Physical Education degree (1996), Diploma in Yoga (1998) from Lucknow University as well as NIS-Badminton (2010) and Master Trainers in Sports and Games for the Disability (2011) from SAI Bangalore and LNIPE, Gwalior respectively.

References

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