Age is just a number—and for 77-year-old Jayaprakash Ramappa, it’s certainly not one that’s slowing him down.

He has recently returned with three gold medals in badminton (in singles, doubles and mixed doubles) from the 2024 Pan American Masters Games held in Cleveland, US.

At 4 pm, while most people his age might be settling in for a quiet evening, he’s lacing up his shoes for a two-hour session at the badminton court in his colony. The former Chancellor of ICFAI University, Ramappa has been playing badminton and tennis since his college days at IIT Madras in the late 1960s.

While he started to play tennis and winning the Industries tournament (held for management trainees) in Pune in 1973, he switched to playing badminton in the mid-70s. He says, “I gave up tennis because I could play only after work. In those days ,it was difficult to find a court that had flood lights that allowed us to play in the dark. I took up badminton since it didn’t have such problems.” In his playing career spread across decades, he has played alongside many legendary sportspersons including Prakash Padukone, Sashi Menon, Pullela Gopichand and Vijay Amritraj.

How does he do it? “Fitness,” he says promptly. His daily training sessions with a coach and swimming routine have kept him agile over the years. “I don’t follow a special diet, but I never skip training,” he smiles. His regimen, along with his court coverage and endurance, keeps him competitive even against younger opponents.