Nandu Natekar
Indian badminton player (1933–2021)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nandu M. Natekar (12 May 1933[2][3] – 28 July 2021) was an Indian badminton national champion.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 12 May 1933 | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 28 July 2021 (aged 88) Pune, Maharashtra, India | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country | India | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Badminton | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
Natekar won over 100[4] national and international titles for India in a career spanning 15 years.[4] Natekar was the first Indian to win a title abroad, in 1956.[5][6] Natekar was a director of Natekar Sports and Fitness (NSF).
He won the Men's Doubles National Championship a total of six times,[7] Men's Singles National Championship a total of six times,[8] and Mixed Doubles National Championship a total of five times.[9]
He was an alumnus of Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai.[10] His son, Gaurav Natekar, is a seven-time Indian National Champion in tennis.[11]
Natekar died in Pune on 28 July 2021 at the age of 88.[12][13]
Achievements
- Won National level Men's Singles and Doubles Championship, as well as Mixed Doubles, multiple times in India.[4][14]
- He has reached the last 8 in the All England Championships.
- Included among 'the Greats' in a souvenir published by Malaysia during the Thomas Cup series in 1954–55.[15]
- Men's Singles Champion in the Selangor International Tournament in Kuala Lumpur in 1956. His victory was also the first international victory by an Indian badminton player.[5][6]
- Recipient of the first Arjuna Award instituted in 1961.[4][15]
- Voted the most popular sportsperson of India in 1961.[4]
- Natekar and Meena Shaw won the Mixed Doubles title at Bangkok's King's Cup International Tournament in 1962. Won the Men's Singles title at the same event in 1963.[5]
- Represented India at the Commonwealth Games in Jamaica in 1966.[15]
- Awarded Meritorious Service Award by the IBF in 1989.[16]
- Honoured at the Jagatik Marathi Parishad in Mauritius in 1991.[15]
- Awarded Life-time Achievement Award by the Petroleum Sports Control Board of India in January 2001.[17]
- Awarded Sahyadri Navratna Puraskar in 2002, titled Ratna Saurabh.[15]
