Shri Gaurav Khanna (born 11 December 1975) is an Indian

para-badminton Para-badminton is a variant of badminton for athletes with a range of physical disabilities. Badminton World Federation (BWF) is the main governing body for para-badminton starting from June 2011. The sport was governed by Para Badminton World Fed ...

team's head coach. Khanna has been widely recognized as the man behind the rise of para-badminton in the country. Khanna encountered several trials and tribulations during his youth and early life, but his desire propelled him onward, and despite all obstacles, he emerged as a selfless individual driven to make a positive difference in the lives of others. His chronicle of battles that led to him becoming a role model for society is also included in the National Geographic documentary series #One For Change and Samarth Series by Hundai in association with NDTV.

Awards and Honours

National Awards

* 2024 -

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

*2020 -

Dronacharya Award The Dronacharya Award, officially known as Dronacharya Award for Outstanding Coaches in Sports and Games, is sports coaching honour of the Republic of India. The award is named after Drona, often referred as "Dronacharya" or "Guru Drona", a cha ...

State Awards

*2024 - LMA Transformation Leadership Award *2024 - PC Indian Achievers Award *2016 - Yashi Bharti Award *2017 - Guru Gobind Singh Award

Other Awards

*2020 - TAL Hero Award *2022 - Stambh Award *2021 - Bravery Award *2019 - Best Individual Working For the Cause of PWD *2018 - Outstanding Services Award *2024 - Apporva Samman He is first Para Sports Coach of the country to be conferred with Padma Shree Award 2024. In 2020, he became the first Para Sports Coach in the country to be honored with Dronacharya Award for his exceptional contribution to para badminton. He is the first Para Coach from UP to have received the highest civilian honor of the state - “Yash Bharti” from CM of UP Government in the field of badminton.

Coaching Career

He established the country's first Para Badminton academy namely, Gaurav Khanna Excellia Badminton Academy. The Indian Para Badminton team has won a total of 1021 medals (276 golds, 287 silvers, and 458 bronzes) in BWF-recognized international tournaments since 2015, following his nomination as Head National Coach. These competitions include the Asian Para Games, World Championships, and Tokyo Paralympics. Many of his trainee athletes are among the best in the world and have won the nation's greatest athletic honors. He has coached

Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj (born 2 July 1983) is an Indian para-badminton player and the World No. 1 in men's singles. He won the silver medals at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 games thus becoming the only Indian para-badminton player to win b ...

Abu Hubaida,

Palak Kohli Palak Kohli (born 12 August 2002) is an Indian professional para-badminton player from Jalandhar. Personal life Palak Kohli comes from Jalandhar. Career Kohli trains in the national training camp under Gaurav Khanna Gaurav Khanna (bo ...

Chirag Baretha ''Chirag'' (English: Light) is a 1969 Indian Bollywood film directed by Raj Khosla. The film stars Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh in the lead roles. Apart from other plus points, it has the song "Teri Aankhon Ke Siwa" sung separately by Mohd. Rafi ...

, and Prem Kumar Ale.

Medal Tally of Indian Para Badminton Team

The Indian Para Badminton Team, under guidance and training of Para coach Shri Gaurav Khanna, has won the following medal.

Barhain Para Badminton International 2025

Fazza Dubai Para Badminton International 2025

Spain Para Badminton International 2025 (Toledo)

Spain Para Badminton International 2025 (vitoria gasteiz)

Egypt Para Badminton International 2025

Barhain Para Badminton International 2024

Japan Para Badminton International 2024

Indonesia Para Badminton International 2024

Paris Paralympic 2024

Uganda Para Badminton International

4 Nations Para Badminton International Level 1

Bahrain Para Badminton International

Spanish Para Badminton International Level 1

Spanish Para Badminton International Level 2

Para Badminton World Championship

Egypt Para Badminton International

Dubai Para Badminton International

Japan Para Badminton International

Asian Para Games

Western Australia Para Badminton International

4th Nations Para Badminton International

Uganda Para Badminton International

Canada Para Badminton International

Bahrain Para Badminton International

Thailand Para Badminton International

Brazil Para Badminton International

Spanish Para Badminton International(Level 1)

Spanish Para Badminton International(Level 2)

Para Badminton World Championship

Uganda Para Badminton International

Indonesia Para Badminton International

Thailand Para Badminton International

Ireland Para Badminton International

Canada Para Badminton International

4thFazza Dubai Para Badminton International

Bahrain Para Badminton International

Brazil Para Badminton International

Spanish Para Badminton International (Level 1)

Spanish Para Badminton International (Level 2)

Asian Youth Para Games Bahrain

Uganda Para Badminton International

Tokyo Paralympics

Dubai Para Badminton International

Peru Para Badminton International

Brazil Para Badminton International

Japan Para Badminton International

Denmark Para Badminton International

China Para Badminton International

Thailand Para Badminton International

Para Badminton World Championship

Irish Para Badminton International

Canada Para Badminton International

Uganda Para Badminton International

Dubai Para Badminton International

Turkish Para Badminton International

IWAS world games

Australia Para Badminton International

Denmark Para Badminton International

Asian para games

Japan Para Badminton International

Brazil Para Badminton International

Thailand Para Badminton International

Irish Para Badminton International

Turkish Para Badminton International

Uganda Para Badminton International

Dubai Para Badminton International

Spanish Para Badminton International

Asian Youth Para Games Dubai

Para Badminton World Championship

Japan Para Badminton International

USA Para Badminton International

Uganda Para Badminton International

Thailand Para Badminton International

Spanish Para Badminton International

Turkish Para Badminton International

Indonesia Para Badminton International

Irish Para Badminton International

Asian Para Badminton Championship

Para Badminton World Championship

GKEBA

The Gaurav Khanna Excellia Badminton Academy boasts two high-quality mat courts and two wooden courts, providing athletes with the perfect environment to hone their skills and master the game. A fully equipped gym enables athletes to strengthen their bodies and enhance their performance under the guidance of expert trainers. A wellness area, in which Athletes can rejuvenate and recover which includes sauna baths, steam baths, and ice baths, essential for post-training relaxation and muscle recovery. A dedicated physiotherapy room ensures that athletes receive top-notch medical care and rehabilitation services to prevent injuries and optimize their physical well-being. GKEBA has been awarded with "BEST ACADEMY AWARD" by The Radient Differently Abled Sports Award, 2023. The GKEBA is dedicated to differently abled athletes, where all categories of athletes, including Polio affected, hearing impaired, accidental injured, injured army personnel in wheelchairs, dwarfs, neuro damaged athletes, and others, not only practice together for free, but also receive education under the dome of Excellia. These athletes stay in Shri Gaurav Khanna's house in Omaxe City, Lucknow. This residence is also known as the "Drona Paralympic House" among para athletes.

Professional Life

Shri Khanna has diverse credentials in Badminton. Other than being an established high-performance coach, Shri Khanna is a Qualified International Umpire and Qualified International Referee of Badminton Asia, having travelled throughout the world to officiate and represent the country in over 100 international sporting events. At several national and international multisport events in India and abroad, Shri Khanna has held positions as Competition Director, Competition Manager, Live Scorer, Match Controller, and Technical Official.

Personal Life

It is commonly acknowledged that Shri Gaurav Khanna is the driving force behind the growth of para badminton in the nation. Shri Khanna, who was born on 11 December 1975, went through many hardships in his early years. However, his passion kept him moving forward, and in spite of all of these setbacks, he became a selfless person who was determined to improve the lives of others. The National Geographic documentary series #One For Change tells his account of the struggles that propelled him to become a social role model. He has made a noteworthy contribution to the promotion of sports among the disabled and their advancement from grassroots to the Deaflympics and Paralympics with his versatile talent and outstanding services as a social worker, professional coach, technical official, organizer, and expert. Shri Khanna has completed his education from KVS, RDSO, Lucknow, received his B.COM degree (1995), Bachelor of Physical Education degree (1996), Diploma in Yoga (1998) from Lucknow University as well as NIS-Badminton (2010) and Master Trainers in Sports and Games for the Disability (2011) from SAI Bangalore and LNIPE, Gwalior respectively.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khanna, Gaurav 1975 births Living people Indian male badminton players Indian badminton coaches Recipients of the Dronacharya Award Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports