Anmol Kharb has just turned 17 years old. She's world rank no 472. The Badminton Asia Team Championships is her first ever (senior) major international tournament. And she's the reason India are champions, for the very first time.
Going into the tournament, India were underdogs. Their best player, PV Sindhu, was on a comeback from a long injury layoff, and they were outranked in almost every other match. It's in the face of mighty odds like this, though, that sporting fairytales are born.
Anmol, chief protagonist in said fairytale, started the tournament with a bang, winning the deciding match against mighty China. After that result, the Badminton Association of India had posted a graphic about her, as a way of introducing her to the sporting public. Amongst a litany of facts was one point that stood out: she hates to lose.
Now, that throwaway statement stands validated. She has won two more deciders in the two most important ties of her young career - a semifinal against Japan on Saturday, a final against Thailand on Sunday -- the Faridabad girl winning India a historic first gold medal with a refreshing mix of fearlessness and flair.
As she was lifted by her senior teammates, as she was serenaded by the capacity crowd in Selangor, Malaysia, the immensity of what she had just done struck hard.
Imagine being a teenager making your major tournament debut for India. Imagine being ranked 472, lowest among all the players she's facing. Imagine then being tasked with the most important match of the tie - playing the decider, shouldering the burden of win or loss for her country.
Imagine the pressure, the magnitude of the moment.
It's when you see Anmol's performances in Malaysia this week through this lens that you truly grasp just how sensational a talent she is.
She barely blinked in the semis and final, powering through to win in straight games against players ranked hundreds of places above her.
Her court coverage, shot selection and attacking mindset were a potent package, bolstered by the confidence of youth and a dynamic energy which flourished in a happy team environment where loud cheers were heard after every point.
Watching her on court, you'd be forgiven if you thought this was a seasoned player who's being doing this for years. Playing a team event decider is tricky business even for the best; the Indian men's team, who are defending world champions have lost in the fifth match twice in the last year. It's a different kind of pressure with both teams making a racquet right behind you on court.
But Anmol appeared unfazed, like she could switch everything else off. But she was also as expressive as they come. Cheering her points, turning back to the team to celebrate, fist pumps flowing, talking with the coach, and absorbing all the energy around her. There is a fine line between feeling the atmosphere and feeding off it, and Anmol balanced it like a pro. The confidence in her body language in the biggest match she has played, with the spotlight of a nation and a potential gold medal on the line, was incredible.
This mental make-up only compliments what is a game full of promise. She is a sharp player on court, can construct rallies and find and exploit spaces on the other end. Even when trailing in the match, she was calm and played clever strokes to stay in points and make her opponent uncomfortable.
She is a quick study, taking in whatever coach Gopichand told her on the sidelines and executing it well. The most telling sign is perhaps the praise from Gopichand himself. The smile on his face while watching the teenager in the semifinal was something to remember. "She is naturally brave and intelligent," he told PTI after the semis. "To take the pressure on and show that kind of nerve, it is very refreshing. She is fearless. The kind of strokes that she plays, it all comes naturally to her."
The confidence and commanding play Anmol has shown this week in Malaysia is a fantastic sight for Indian badminton fans. It heralds the arrival of that the long-awaited bench strength in women's singles.
Right now, it looks like she knows no fear or pressure, and at her age and stage in her career, she probably doesn't. There is a long way to go yet, but the manner in which Anmol shone on debut is a very encouraging sign...Anmol Kharb, remember the name.