Promising national junior shuttler V. Poopathi was one of the flawless performers at the National Junior Ranking Challenge last week, finishing top of his group with a perfect record of three victories in as many matches.

Like many young, aspiring players, Poopathi has grand ambitions for his badminton career, including making home state Kedah proud.

“I want to make my state proud, this is my target. Right now we have Lee Zii Jia who is doing well for the country, and I want to emulate him by becoming another great shuttler from Kedah,” Poopathi told Stadium Astro.

The 16-year-old caught the attention with a series of eye-catching performances last week.

He beat Anson Cheong (21-9, 21-10), Dylan Ooi (21-19, 22-20) and Eogene Eon (23-21, 16-21, 21-16) to finish as Group A&B playoff champion.

Standing at 5 foot 9 inches tall, Poopathi considered his advantage as being head and shoulders than most of his team-mates.

Poopathi’s positional play and crisp smashes also looks a defining feature in his game, an improvement which he credited to the efforts of national junior development director Misbun Sidek and Under-18 singles coach Hazwan Jamaluddin.

“I have improved under them. Coach Misbun always advises us to push our limits in every training session, so we can see our improvement in tournaments. My stamina and durability has increased, and I am mentally stronger too.

“I need to work more on my tactical game and strength after this, which will be crucial when I play against senior players,” he said.

Poopathi picked up the sport from his three older brothers who were state players.

He was then coached by his dad, before being drafted into the state set-up and later into the Bukit Jalil Sports School. He is now based at the Academy Badminton Malaysia.

Being a left hander, Poopathi’s idol was naturally none other than five-time world champion Lin Dan.

“I have watched almost all his videos on Youtube and on the television, since watching him at the 2008 Olympics final. His determination is extraordinary.”