Valiyaveetil Diju is one of the most popular Indian badminton players who along with Jwala Gutta is the recipient of numerous awards like the National mixed-doubles champions. The Badminton World Federation has granted the pair of Valiyaveetil Diju and Jwala Gutta with the seventh rank in the world.
Early Life of Valiyaveetil Diju
He was born on 4th January, 1981 in Ramanattukara, Kozhikode in the Calicut district. V. Diju earned his graduation degree from Farook College, Calicut. He completed his schooling from Govt. Model Boys School, Thrissur. Valiyaveetil Diju or V. Diju began his badminton career at the All India University Championships by representing University of Calicut. Valiyaveetil Diju is also a four-time National mixed-doubles winner. This national badminton player is working as HR manager in ONGC, Chennai at present.
Career of Valiyaveetil Diju
Valiyaveetil Diju performed remarkably both at national and international badminton tournaments. In the year 2002, V. Diju and Sanave Thomas won the Indian National Badminton Championships (doubles), which was held at Lucknow. They won this double`s championship by defeating Jaseel P. Ismail and Jaison Xavier. Further, he won the Bitburger Open Championship held in Germany in partnership with Jwala Gutta. This victory was India`s first mixed-doubles Grand Prix win. In the year 2006, V. Diju grabbed the bronze medal in Commonwealth Games held at Melbourne. Further, the Diju-Jwala pair emerged as the runner up at the Indian Open that was held at Hyderabad in the year 2009. In the final match of that tournament this Indian pair lost to the Indonesian pair of Flandy Limpele and Vita Marissa.
In August 2009, they became the first Indians to reach the quarter-final round of the World Badminton Championship. They defeated the Polish pair of Robert Mateusiak and Nadiezda Kostiuczyk in the third round after a 31-minute clash. This tournament was held at Hyderabad. Moreover, Diju-Jwala pair became the first Indian badminton mixed doubles pair to grab a Grand Prix Gold title. They defeated the Indonesian pair of Hendra Gunawan and Vita Marissa in the Chinese Taipei Open final round. In the quarter final round, they win over Korean pair of Shin Baek-Cheol and Yoo Hyun-Young. Again in the semi-final round of this tournament this Indian pair of Diju and Gutta succeeded over the Malaysian pair of Liu Ying Goh and Peng Soon Chan.
Diju and his badminton doubles partner Jwala Gutta was capable of reaching the World Super Series Masters final in December 2009, in the region of Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Nadiezda Kostiuczyk of Poland and Robert Mateusiak lost to Valiyaveetil Diju and Jwala Gutta in this game. However, they were defeated in the finals by Joaquim Nielsen and Christinna Pedersen who won bronze medals in the World Championship.
Personal Life of Valiyaveetil Diju
Diju was born at Ramanattukara, in the Calicut district to Karunakaran and Lalitha. He did his schooling in Govt. Model Boys School, Thrissur. He completed his graduation from Farook College, Calicut. He has an elder brother Dinu.
