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Scroll down to watch a video of Pallav Deka playing badminton.
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In the U.S., badminton is reserved for gym classes and backyard barbecues. But not for Pallav Deka, a nursing student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Deka is an expert, a former professional player in India and most recently, a badminton gold medalist at the State Games of America.

He plays badminton the way most people tie their shoes. It's easy. Well, he makes it look easy, but as Deka explained, it isn't.

"It's a very dynamic game," he said, full of fast and forceful movements.

In fact, it's the world's fastest racket sport, Deka said. The fastest tennis serve is clocked just under 160 miles per hour. Shuttlecocks — or birdies — can travel at speeds upward of 210 miles per hour.

"You can see, when the shuttle travels at that pace how fast and dynamic the game can be. It's not really a game where you can play at a picnic with a racket in one hand and beer in the other," he said.

Deka, 30, regularly competes in regional and national tournaments. He has won more than a dozen medals. In July, Deka won the Cornhusker State Games and went on to compete at the State Games of America this month. He placed first.

Badminton is not only fun but fair, he said. Sports like basketball require tall players, but badminton doesn't discriminate.

"If you don't have the skills, you cannot survive," said Deka. "It does not matter what your build is."

Deka, an India native, started playing badminton as a 10-year-old. The sport is wildly popular there, he said, second only to cricket. His talent launched his professional career, but in 2006 he left the sport and India to study in the U.S.

Before pursuing a career in nursing, Deka earned his master's degree in exercise science. His thesis research examined badminton's impact on physical fitness. Deka found that recreational players expended the same amount of energy during a 30-minute badminton match as someone running on a treadmill for the same amount of time at six or six and a half miles per hour.

"It's a very good game to ... maintain your fitness," he said.

Badminton, anyone?

Contact the writer: 402-444-1071; [email protected].