Meet the champion sport star siblings, 11 and 7, who aim to be the next two Rafael Nadals
Niam and Veer Radia are a force to be reckoned with. At just 11 and 7 years old, the brothers excel in several sports and compete in a number of high-level competitions, ieincluding the Leicestershire County Junior Championship for Badminton. In fact, they are so good that even Adidas has shown interest in sponsoring them.
The dynamic duo excel at both golf and cricket – Veer, 7, was even scouted for the county cricket team – but right now her heart lies in the sport of badminton. 11 years old Niam currently plays for the Leicestershire County team and his younger brother Veer is already preparing to play for the U12s.
The family say the boys’ success comes as no surprise as their competitive spirit and sporting talents have been passed down through several generations – there’s a cupboard full to the brim with over 500 medals and trophies to prove it. There’s even a room in her Oadby home dedicated to all her favorite athletes and other vintage memorabilia.
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From a young age, the two boys decided to become professional athletes, she says LeicestershireLive about their journey so far and their plans for the future. They also revealed who is their biggest inspiration from the sports world – tennis extraordinaire Rafael Nadal.
Niam started playing sports at the age of five. He said: “I’ve always liked sports, but mainly I started playing badminton and I sometimes play in our lounge. It’s so fast-paced and tests your entire mental, physical game and strategy.”
“I used to love playing cricket – that was my old favorite but now I’ve changed.”
Veer added: “I feel the same way. I like to play different sports, my favorite is badminton. We play at the highest level, so it’s more fun.”
The brothers must juggle the realities of being elementary school students with their packed after-school schedule. Niam said: “We have a strict schedule so on Monday after school we go to play badminton from 6.30pm to 7.30pm but before that we all do our homework and have a snack.”
But Veer made it clear that Mondays aren’t the only days for badminton, saying: “Sometimes we also play on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.” The lads manage to incorporate table tennis alongside badminton in the winter and switch to cricket and golf in the summer .
Despite their success, the guys admitted that the competition comes with its fair share of difficulties. Niam said: “Competiting can sometimes be a challenge for mental toughness. Sometimes when you lose it’s very hard to get back up and keep going to the end.”
Niam and Veer owe part of their success to proud parents Parag and Shweta Radia, who offer a wealth of support and guidance. Not only do they host family get-togethers on the weekends, but they also chauffeur the boys to competitions and sporting events and have adorned their homes with gear to brush up on their skills.
Father Parag said: “Of course we have been involved in sports for generations, mainly because we enjoy it, and the emphasis has been on racquet sports and hand-eye coordination. My dad taught me racquetball growing up and much like Niam and Veer, my brother and I challenged and competed with each other and pushed each other to get better.”
Parag says he hoped his children would inherit his passion for the sport but never wanted to push them into anything that wasn’t their dream. He says they developed the passion themselves and take great pride in how they behave as athletes and as students.
“We are incredibly proud of them. On and off the pitch they never put their achievements in front of other people, they’re very humble and down to earth and I think that’s what you have to be to take the next step and I think that’s why they keep pushing it push to get better. I am equally proud of how they manage to juggle their academic life.”
Mum Shweta added: “I come from a very humble background in India and at that time we didn’t have the sporting facilities nor the facilities that these boys have. We’re just doing everything we can to support them without influencing their decisions.”
“The fact that they are enjoying it at this age and wanting to do it makes us very proud of them. All the sports they play actually prepare them for life because there can be bad games or days when things don’t go the way they are, but that’s a reflection of life – being able to get back up, even when things don’t go the way you want them to.”
“It’s not always about winning, it’s about having fun playing.”
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