He is retired from his government job but he continues to maintain his position as the veteran badminton icon. At 64, Ram Lakhan has won a gold medal for the 22nd consecutive time at the All-India Masters’ Ranking Badminton Tournament. He played in the 60-plus category in the tournament held this time at Agra.
“I took retirement from my job as the foreman in PSPCL in 2017. But I have no plans to retire from the game. The game shall continue till I remain fit to play. I have been maintaining my routine to practise daily at the Hansraj Stadium daily”, said the champion.
Ram Lakhan says, “I knew nothing about the game till I was in school. My father was a class IV employee in SDM Nakodar office and later got transferred to Nawanshahr. I used to see officers playing the game and always felt that it was a rich man’s game. I eventually picked up the racket when I was 15. I got no coaching from anyone and learnt it all on my own. I was able to excel quickly and win national medals in the game. My sports achievements helped me get a job in the PSPCL. I used to play in the tournaments conducted within the department and got trophies each time”.
Ram Lakhan became the world champion at the age of 42. “It was in 2004 that I had won gold in the World Badminton Championship held at Malaysia. Since then, there has been no looking back. I have played in all national and many international events since then. In 2018, I had won silver in the Asia Pacific Master Games. In 2023, I had won bronze in the All England Open Badminton Championship. Since my son is settled in New Zealand, I have played there too and won two gold medals. In 2024, I had won two gold medals in Ceylon Masters’ Badminton Tournament held at Colombo, Sri Lanka.” The veteran champion also plays doubles and mixed doubles with partners from other states.
Ram Lakhan says, “The only regret in my life is that I have not been able to impart coaching to the younger lot. I am not so well-equipped to set up my private academy but I want to train the next generations in the game. So, I am still looking for such an opportunity at the government level somewhere.”
