MISSOURI CITY, Texas – Inside the Twin Tigers Badminton facility in Missouri City, future stars of the sport are hard at work.
One of them is Maulik Kaushik, a 17-year-old who will soon be a senior at Fort Bend ISD’s Ridge Point High School.
Kaushik was diagnosed at birth with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism that affects about 1 in every 50,000 people. He hasn’t let the condition slow him down.
“Most people look at you from the outside and judge you based on that and don’t want to know you,” Kaushik told KPRC 2 Sports Director Randy McIlvoy before a training session.
Maulik grew up playing and experimenting with multiple sports. He was introduced to badminton at age 10 but didn’t fully commit to the sport until just over a year ago.
“I realized the possibilities that badminton has for me after I saw two others play with the same condition as me,” Kaushik said. “That inspired me to take badminton to the next level.”
That’s exactly what he’s done.
There’s no doubt Kaushik has both the passion and the talent. He has big plans for the next few years, with one goal at the top of his list: representing the United States at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
“That’s one reason why I play badminton: to reach that level. It’s an achievement. Not many people reach the Olympics, and getting to that level would be a dream for me.”
This week, Kaushik travels to Brazil to compete in an international tournament, where he hopes to earn his first world ranking.