Bedford is home to many rising stars. Some excel on the athletic fields, some in theater, others in technology and academics.

However, Bedford is also home to people of many unique talents and champions in sports you may not know as much about.

Neha Navrage is just such an unknown champion–until now. She is the No. 1 badminton player in Connecticut for girls under 14.

This seventh grader at Bedford Middle School usually goes to badminton practices two times a week and has worked toward her first place title for three years since she was eight.

“Playing badminton just sorta happened. My parents signed me up for practices, and then I developed a love for it.”

Neha travels up to an hour and a half for tournaments all around Connecticut. She is looking forward to the annual tournament where she holds the title for first place for under 14 singles and second place for under 16 doubles.

Badminton is the fastest racket sport and has also been in the Olympics since 1992.
Surprisingly enough, according to ESPN, badminton is also considered the world’s second most popular sport in terms of participation after soccer with 1.1 million players.

When asking the competitive player about what the tournaments are like she stated, “They are a little nerve racking, but really exciting.”

There are around 150 competitive scholastic badminton players in Connecticut, and the sport is intense and it takes a lot to be a skillful player.
Neha’s many accomplishments can be traced back to her focused practicing and her drive to be the best.

“Becoming an accomplished badminton player has definitely made the sport more fun for me. I take badminton very seriously.” Whether it’s bouncing the shuttle up and down on her racket throughout the house, to her weekly practices, she has demonstrated a commitment and pride for the sport.

Neha’s mother says that her husband is the main contributor for Neha’s success.

Her goal is to continue playing at Staples, and she wants to learn new shots and continue to get better and better.

“I recommend the sport for everyone because it is a really fun sport where you can be at you personal best while still working together with coaches and other players. The sport is really underestimated.”