Congratulations on the second world championship medal. After the setback against Bakhuyag, you made a comeback in repechage. How do you view world championship bronze medals? It wasn’t that I wasn’t mentally prepared for it on the first day and things changed radically on the second day. The truth is that it took a little extra time for my body to recover from the weight cut and as a result I was exhausted and not at my best. Losing these weights is not easy on the body and they make you tired. I’ve had to go through three weight cuts in the last month since the (2022 Birmingham) Commonwealth Games (CWG) and it took a toll. The final weight cut before the fight against Batkuyag affected me and I didn’t recover as fast as I wanted. The next day my body had adjusted better and I was in much better shape and this was reflected in the results. So, to think that something went wrong on the first day and I was not mentally prepared for it would not be a correct assessment.
But being able to come back after a crushing defeat would mean a lot to you. Yes, it has given me great satisfaction. Probably because I worked hard, I got this opportunity through repechage. In a lot of sports people don’t get a second chance. They may have a bad fight and it is all over for them. In my case I was lucky that I got a second chance and that is what I think finally paid off my hard work. While many people are saying that I am the first Indian to win two medals, I want to say that there are a lot of athletes who have won better medals than my two bronze medals. So we should not lose our point of view. I need to keep working hard to do well in future events. If my body had responded better to the previous weight cuts, the medal color here in Belgrade could have been different.
Returning is never easy. More when it’s after a big shock like Tokyo. How do you see things going forward? I have said this before and am saying it again. In India we give a lot of importance to a victory or a defeat. If you lose one day people will scoff at you and say you are not good enough. Your years of work go in vain and you become rubbish and rubbish. And if you win, they will praise you in the sky. We need some balance. This extreme reaction puts an enormous amount of pressure on us athletes. There has never been an athlete who does not lose. Cannot be done. Wins and losses are part of the game and we need to be a little more mature about these things, otherwise we put a lot of negative pressure on athletes which can be detrimental to a person’s mental health. I think if we tackle things a little more rationally, it will be better for us athletes who are trying to do well.
So how hopeful are you of making it to the 2024 Paris Olympics? If you ask me, I want to play two more Olympics if my body allows me to do so. It is impossible to predict injuries in wrestling. Take my own case in Rio. No one could guess the injury. But if I’m fit enough and my body allows, I’d absolutely love to play in Paris and even Los Angeles.
The more we play and win, the better it is for the game in India. More and more young girls will play sports and the competition will be better. While I will work my hardest and try my best, we have to see over time how my body is responding and that will dictate things going forward. But yes, I definitely want to play in Paris and even in the 2028 Olympics.
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