Auckland Badminton Association (ABA) is excited to announce that Mitul Shah will be representing New Zealand at the upcoming BWF World Senior Championships 2023 in Jeonju, South Korea next week from September 11-17.

Mitul Shah is an Auckland representative and is a member of our Auckland Masters Team 5 and Auckland Veteran Team 4.

He will be competing in the Men's Singles Category for 50-years-old and over. The veteran has been training hard for the tournament and has been undergoing private coaching lessons with our Wisden Squad member Jonathan Curtin.

We reached out to Mitul for a short interview. Read his story below:

Tell us about your Badminton journey.

I started playing at the age of 10 and played competitive badminton until I was 20. Following this, I actually took a break for nearly 28 years to focus on my career! 

When did you get into Badminton?

After retiring from my business, I started to play again socially about 4 years ago at Lynndale Club, New Lynn. It was great to get into it once again. I then contacted my coach Jonathan Curtin at ABA and began regular sessions. Yvonne at ABA introduced me to Inter Associated Masters Badminton, where I was inspired by my teammates and peers - they defy all norms around age and play for the love of the game. It has been fantastic 4 years having played around 100 matches! And this is just the beginning! I still feel like I have a lot of game left in me. 

What do you enjoy the most about Badminton?

I am passionate about badminton - it keeps me young and keeps me looking after my physical and mental well being. It has allowed me to connect with a wonderful group of individuals who motivate and inspire me to keep going. It has allowed me to travel the country and now the world too! 

What is your most memorable Badminton moment?

Finishing 3rd at the Masters Nationals in the 50s category  last year allowed me to aspire for participation in the BWF World Seniors Championships!

What drives you to compete as most people would have stopped playing?

Meeting new people, keeping my health in check and keeping my spirit young! 

Any advice for players who want to still compete when they reach your age one day?

The advice I would give to any junior players is to keep playing, never give up, and not take such a long break from the game. It takes a long time to get back in shape. Consistency is the key! My teammates in the Masters circuit inspire me to push myself and 52 years is still very young and have another 20+ years to go!

You can follow Mitul's run at the BWF Senior World Championships 2023 here. Mitul will be facing United Kingdom's Nitin Gandhi in the opening round-of-64 on Monday. 

Article added: Thursday 07 September 2023