INDIA – Vimal Kumar survives a “bear Hug”

Vimal Kumar, head coach of Prakash Padukone Academy in Bengalore India and also a future potential candidate for the post of Badminton India’s Presidency, was recently attacked by a mother […]

Vimal Kumar, head of Prakash Padukone Academy in Bengalore India and also a future potential candidate for the post of Badminton India’s Presidency, was recently attacked by a mother bear during one of his treks in the forrest.

My elder daughter Aishwarya let out a scream and as I turned around, I saw a mother bear with its cubs,” said Vimal to the Times of India. “The bear grabbed me by the hips and picked me up and we both fell down the rock face. I’m not sure if the bear hit her head on a rock but she immediately released me and disappeared. It was all over in a matter of seconds. When I got up, my trousers were gone and I was bleeding from my left thigh. The flesh had been ripped open.”

The former Olympian from India was lucky enough to suffer only bruises and skin loss, but it could have ended in a more dramatic way, for this public figure of the badminton world. “The bear could have caused a serious injury but didn’t. My wife has since banned me from going into the forest” he added.

Raphaël Sachetat

About Raphaël Sachetat

Raphael is the Chief Editor of Badzine International. He is the founder of the website together with Jean François Chauveau. After many years writing for the BWF and many publications around the world about badminton, he now leads a team of young and dynamic writers for Badzine.