College student aims to take the badminton world by storm
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Tower Hamlets student Taffazul Islam is combining his studies with a shot at badminton stardom
Local boy Taffazul Islam, 18, only took up badminton in Year 10 at high school but is already making a ‘racquet’ on the local scene. The BTEC Business student had never stepped on court until he gave it a go as part of his GCSE Physical Education course and, as he admits, he wasn’t exactly a natural.
“I was terrible. I didn’t know what I was doing and wasn’t any good at first. So much of badminton is about moving your feet and your court positioning and I didn’t have a clue. It was only around a year later when I got a coach that I really started to improve and enjoy it. Up until then, I played a bit of football and cricket but never took anything seriously”
Taffazul progressed quickly and won the Tower Hamlets Under 17 Badminton Championship before taking the under 19 title and winning promotion from his league this year. He trains most days of the week at and believes this hard work could be the key to his progression. A gifted student, Taffazul has also just completed a summer internship with J.P.Morgan and is keen to go on to university and either have his own business or work in finance.
“I am really ambitious but I’m not sure whether I can have a career in badminton. I want to get to the top of the sport but I know how far I still have to go. I would love to keep improving and start playing regional and national level. I am hoping to play for London Metropolitan University in their national league this year but my dream is to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games. I am concentrating on training hard and getting my qualifications for now though.”
Taffazul will be coaching fellow students in The Workhouse every Thursday from 3.15 -4.30. All ability levels are welcome so whether you think a shuttlecock sounds like a type of foreign transport or you have played a bit before but not got involved at college, why not come along and give it a go. If there is sufficient interest, there could be scope for organising a team to represent the college in tournaments.