SAINA NEHWAL “JUMPING WITH JOY”
It
is just the beginning and I want to win many more medals, says ace shuttler and
London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal. “I am more relaxed now and it
will not be difficult for me to keep myself motivated for the next four years.
For the next big goal is to improve upon my bronze medal,” the champion
shuttler said on her return from London on Tuesday,7th August,2012.“I
love to keep playing till 36. Touch wood, if I maintain my fitness levels.
There is still lot to achieve and I am very keen to keep winning big titles and
many medals too,” Saina said.“Well, before the start of Olympics I was
confident of winning a medal, especially after winning the Thai and the
Indonesian Opens beating some of the big Chinese names,” Saina said. “ But, I
did not tell the media this for it meant putting lot of pressure on you. I am
glad I achieved what I said before the Games,” she said.“The first time I
dreamt of an Olympic medal was in 1999 when I started playing because my mom
(Usha Nehwal) insisted that I should aim at winning Olympic medal. I told her –
are you joking for I just started playing. But she felt that unless I dream big
I cannot achieve big goals,” Saina recalled.Looking back to her bronze, the
22-year-old Saina said the wonderful journey began on July 23 when she arrived
in London and had good training sessions. “Yes, it was sad to see her opponent
(Wang Xin) fall down on the court because of the injury in play-off match. “I
have never won a match like this before. Yes, I was lucky in a way on that
day,” she remarked.“But, I could not control my emotions when I stood on the
medal podium. For that's what I have been dreaming for so long and working so
hard, making so many sacrifices along with Gopi sir (chief nationalcoach
Pullela Gopi Chand,” a visibly delighted Saina remarked.
“I
saw people dying to get an Olympic medal. Now, though me and Gopi sir are
feeling normal after actually getting the bronze, I am jumping in joy from
inside. I am actually speechless whenever I think of it. It was a great
feeling,” Saina said.“I was crying for two hours after the semi-final loss to
World No. Wang Yihan. It was terrible for I was so desperate to go for the
gold. But once Gopi sir told me about the importance of the bronze medal play
off the next day, I recouped myself and started focussing on that. I am glad
that his words of wisdom paid off so well,” she said.Referring to the impact of
her Olympics bronze medal on badminton as such in India, Saina felt one had to
wait to see what was in store.“Already there are quite a few youngsters who are
really doing well and I am confident that India will be a force to reckon with
in the next Olympics,” she said. “Well, the fact that we had five shuttlers and
one of them Kashyap had entered the men's singles quarter-final and even the
doubles combinations doing so well, it was a great improvement from the last
Olympics itself. I am confident of a great future for the sport in India,”
Saina said.Saina profusely thanked her coach and mentor Gopi Chand all her
achievements. “We all know how many challenges he had faced in his life and
sporting career. There were many who actually told me that I was wasting time
under him. And there were many who told that I cannot beat champions. But
thanks to Gopi Sir, all this has happened,” she explained.“Definitely, I am
delighted that I have done what I have told my dad (Dr. Harvir Singh) before
going to Olympics – this time I will come back with a medal. And I must thank
all the support staff at the Academy and all those who prayed for my success
and conveyed their best wishes,” she said.For his part Gopi said that his life
would have been incomplete without this bronze medal. “I must thank Saina for
this. She really pushed hard for the last eight months, never skipping a day's
training session. It was her sheer hard work which helped us see this dream
finish,” he remarked.
“There
are many athletes who wish to win an Olympic medal during their playing time.
But, I am fortunate to be the medal-winner in my lifetime (as a coach) of a
champion player,” he said amidst applause at his Academy.Dr. Harvir Singh
(Saina's father) felt that the medal was the result of his daughter's efforts
and the guidance of her guru (Gopi Chand). “For anyone to be successful, you
need two things – environment and a guru to guide you in the right direction. I
must say Saina was lucky to have such gurus from her childhood includingNani
Prasad (late SAAP coach) and Arif Sir (S. M. Arif),” he remarked.
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