Pulingome’s Daughter, Hyderabad’s Champ!

They said India couldn’t win a women’s doubles World medal since 2011. In front of a roaring Delhi crowd, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand proved them wrong.

Battling an injury layoff, ranked World No. 39 and unseeded, the duo scripted a dream comeback at the BWF World Championships 2026 in New Delhi to win bronze — India’s only medal in this edition and the first women’s doubles medal in 15 years. The run lifted them 12 spots to World No. 27.

With this, Treesa became the first Malayali woman to achieve the feat. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy invited Treesa, Gayatri and coach Pullela Gopichand to his Jubilee Hills residence to felicitate them, calling it a proud moment for Telangana.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

It has been a Hyderabad story since early 2020, when Treesa moved from Kannur University to the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Gachibowli under the TOPS scheme. But her roots lie in Pulingome village, where there wasn’t a single badminton court.

When five-year-old Treesa fell in love with the sport, her father Jolly Mathew built a court himself in the courtyard of their 50-year-old house at Umayamchal. To fund it, he sold gold and borrowed from friends. Every evening after school, she trained for 1.5 hours, coached only by her father till Class 7, travelling pillion on his bike to tournaments.

“That small court my father built for me and my sister — it all started there. From there to this level. All credit to him, he taught me to believe in myself,” Treesa says. The court is gone now, but tarpaulin sheets still cover their home.

TOO SHORT FOR VOLLEYBALL

Fearless as a kid, she picked up the racquet because she was too short for volleyball and her father used volleyball drills to build her jump. At 12, she left home for Kannur University, travelling alone and booking her own tournaments. Villagers told her father that sport was of no use for a girl from here. “There was nothing in my village. Now there are courts everywhere. Kids come to me. I’ve been hyperactive since childhood, even before badminton came into my life,” she laughs.

ACCIDENTAL PAIRING THAT BECAME NO.1

At Gachibowli, everything changed. A singles player till then, she switched to doubles.

“Before joining the academy, I was mostly focused on singles. But after joining, I switched to doubles. The entire training system was completely new and every day felt exciting and I just wanted to go and play. That excitement made all the difference,” she says.

One of the most talked-about pairs in Indian badminton today was born purely by accident. In 2021, mid-pandemic, coaches at the academy decided to pair two singles players. Neither had a doubles pedigree, but it clicked from the first rally. What began as an experiment is now India No.1.

“If I look back, she has been so much more than just my partner on court. She is my support system, my strength. When injuries kept me away, when self-doubt crept in, every single time she was there. She never let me feel alone. She is like a pillar for me,” Treesa says of Gayatri. “I never really thought about who the promising player is between us. That stuff has never bothered us.”

BRONZE THAT MADE HER CRY

This season had started well before injury struck. “We started really well, but before the Asian Championship I had an ankle injury — two ligament tears and two muscle tears during practice matches,” she says. The bronze meant the world. “It was always a dream for me and Gayatri to win a medal at Worlds.

When it turned into reality, we couldn’t hold back our tears. Pure happiness. To finally live the reality we imagined for so long was incredibly special,” she says.

Off court, life in Hyderabad is simple. “Our training keeps us busy, only weekends are a bit free. I have a small circle of friends here. We hang out or catch a movie, just normal stuff.”

LA 2028 IS NEXT

Honours have followed. Treesa was conferred the Arjuna Award 2025, announced on August 18, 2026 among 17 awardees in a list with Khel Ratna. Gayatri and fellow Malayali sprinter Muhammed Ajmal also feature. “Being recognised with Arjuna means so much. I am incredibly grateful and humbled. It’s a proud moment for my entire family,” she says.

But a bigger dream still burns. In the final stretch to Paris 2024, Treesa and Gayatri were locked in an all-Indian shootout with Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa for one Olympic berth. Ranked 14th, they needed a title if Tanisha-Ashwini crossed Round 1 at the last qualifier. While their compatriots got a bye, they bowed out to China’s Liu-Tan in the opening round. Missing Paris has only made the hunger stronger. All eyes now on LA 2028!