Named after former footballer but Kevin shows badminton is his game

Guatemalan badminton player Kevin Cordon trains in Guatemala city on April 8, 2016. In a football-mad nation of Spanish-speakers like Guatemala, it is sort of hard for people to even pronounce badminton much less take an interest in the sport. So hats off to Kevin Cordon, who has been playing since he was 11, won the Pan Am singles championship twice in a row, competed in the Beijing and London Olympics and will proudly represent his Central American nation in Rio de Janeiro come August. / AFP PHOTO / JOHAN ORDONEZ

GUATEMALA CITY: In a football-mad nation of Spanish-speakers like Guatemala, it is hard for people to even pronounce badminton, much less take an interest in a sport more associated with Asia than the Americas.

So hats off to Kevin Cordon – reportedly named after England’s former footballer Kevin Keegan – who has been playing since he was 11 and has surged to number 49 in the badminton world rankings.