When Jagsher Singh Khangurra was just 11, his parents made a difficult but necessary decision: they sent their young son from Nabha to a badminton academy in Bahadurgarh, near Delhi, to pursue advanced training and compete at a higher level.For Manpreet Singh and Rashpal Kaur, both government school teachers, the decision meant sending their child away from home at an age when most children are still under the constant care of their parents. But they believed the sacrifice could shape his future. Today, that difficult decision has begun to bear fruit.Jagsher has been selected to represent India at the World Junior Badminton Championships, scheduled to be held in Cairo, Egypt, from October 5 to 17. The youngster has already won six medals in international tournaments and established himself as one of Punjab’s promising badminton talents.”It was very tough. I cannot explain what it felt like to leave such a small child away from home. But we knew we had to take that step for his future,” recalled his father, Manpreet Singh.Almost every weekend, his parents would travel to Delhi to be with him, watch his training sessions and ensure he was settling into the demanding routine.”We used to watch him perform early in the morning and would keep checking how he was doing there,” Manpreet said.Jagsher picked up a badminton racket when he was just seven. His father said no one in the family had played professional sports. He would drive Jagsher from Nabha to Patiala every evening for training. Jagsher progressed quickly and went on to become a state champion, a title he has held since 2019.One of his early coaches, Suresh Kumar, who continues to remain closely associated with the family, eventually advised his parents that Jagsher needed to move out of Punjab if he wanted to compete at the international level.At 11, Jagsher moved to an academy in Bahadurgarh. At 14, he shifted to Mumbai, where he trained for a year. For the past two years, he has been training at the Centre for Badminton Excellence in Bengaluru. Jagsher is grateful to his coaches, Sagar Chopda and Muni Ramu.For Jagsher, moving away from home at such a young age was not easy either. But he found motivation in the players around him.”There were many good players when I went outside at 11. I drew motivation from my seniors, who used to travel to participate in various tournaments,” he said.He admitted that there were emotional challenges, but with every tournament and every step forward, the sacrifices began to make sense.His family has also been a source of inspiration beyond badminton. His elder sister is pursuing an MBBS degree, while his parents have continued to support both their children in their respective pursuits.Jagsher’s life now revolves around a strict training schedule. His day begins at 5.30 am with yoga, followed by breakfast at around 7.30 am and a badminton training session. After lunch, he rests for about two hours before returning for a fitness session between 3 pm and 4 pm, followed by another badminton training session. It is a routine that leaves little room for the usual distractions of teenage life.But for Jagsher, the long hours of training are part of a much bigger dream—competing against the best young badminton players in the world. He is now focused on winning a gold medal at the World Junior Badminton Championships.Ritin Khanna, secretary of the Punjab Badminton Association, congratulated Jagsher on his selection and said he was the only player from Punjab to have made it to the Indian squad for the World Junior Badminton Championships.Khanna also highlighted Punjab’s growing presence on the national badminton scene, stating that Tanvi Sharma from Hoshiarpur and Dhruv Kapila from Ludhiana are part of the Indian badminton contingent for the Asian Games being held in Japan.