On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has interacted through video conferencing with Tokyo Olympics bound athletes. “Don’t take the pressure of winning; just tell your heart and mind that you want to give your best. Play freely. The whole of India will cheer for you,” the PM said.
He spoke to 15 athletes and their families during the televised virtual meeting.
As reported by Hindustan Times, Among those present were Deepika Kumari, the current No 1 woman archer in the world, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, tennis star Sania Mirza, reigning badminton world champion PV Sindhu, London Olympics bronze medallist MC Mary Kom, Vinesh Phogat, who is the No 1 ranked wrestler in her weight class in the world, shooters Saurabh Chaudhary and Elavenil Valarivan, sprinter Dutee Chand, swimmer Sajan Prakash, table tennis players Manika Batra and Sharath Kamal, and boxer Ashish Kumar.
“You have come so far with your discipline, commitment and dedication. The commitment and competitiveness you have shown are the qualities of a new India and all of you are a reflection of a new India. Very soon, winning will become a habit,” said Modi.
He started his conversation with Deepika, who recently became world No 1 after winning gold at the Archery World Cup stage 3 in Paris, the Modi asked about the journey of the Ranchi girl, who will be playing in her second Olympics. “I heard that you started archery by taking aim at mangoes. “After you won the gold medal in Paris, the whole nation is talking about you, you are now World no 1. Can you recall your journey? ”, Modi asked.
Deepika responded: “I like mangoes, and that’s how it started. I started with a bamboo bow and then switched to a modern bow. The starting years were a struggle because there were no facilities, but then I got good training and good coaches,” said the 27-year-old.
The Tokyo Olympics is scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8.