Prakash Padukone is a legendary Indian badminton player who brought glory to the country with his impressive skills and numerous victories. Born on June 10, 1955, in Bangalore, Karnataka, Padukone was introduced to the sport by his father, Ramesh, who was the secretary of the Mysore Badminton Association ¹.

Padukone's badminton journey began with his first official tournament, the Karnataka state junior championship, in 1962. He went on to win the national junior title in 1972 and the senior title the same year, showcasing his exceptional talent ¹. He continued to dominate the sport, winning the national title consecutively for seven years from 1972 to 1979.

Some of Padukone's most notable achievements include:

- *First Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Championships*: Padukone achieved this feat in 1980, defeating Indonesia's Liem Swie King ¹.

- *World No. 1 ranking*: He attained the top ranking in 1980, a testament to his outstanding performance ¹.

- *Commonwealth Games gold medal*: Padukone won the men's singles gold medal at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, Canada ¹.

- *Arjuna Award and Padma Shri*: He was honored with the Arjuna Award in 1972 and the Padma Shri in 1982 for his contributions to Indian sports ¹.

After retiring from competitive badminton in 1991, Padukone went on to serve as the chairman of the Badminton Association of India and coach of the Indian national badminton team from 1993 to 1996 ¹. He also co-founded the Olympic Gold Quest foundation, which aims to promote Olympic sports in India ¹.

Padukone is married to Ujjala, and they have two daughters, Deepika and Anisha. Deepika is a renowned Bollywood actress, and Anisha is a professional golfer .