Harpal Singh Bedi
28 April 2024
New Delhi, April 28:With the Paris Olympics just three- months away, the country's best shot putter, and two-time Asian Games Gold Medallist, Tajinderpal Toor, on Saturday asserted That the showpiece quadrangular sporting extravaganza will have a host of medal contenders from India.
“Ever since Neeraj Chopra’s Gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games, it’s brought a sense of self-belief where each one of us is not just going to the games to participate but we are going there to win a medal.”
“I think that’s the shift in mindset today. We don’t think of ourselves as any lesser than the top global athletes we compete with. Look at the results in the World Championships, we had Neeraj and Kishore Jena finish on the podium. We also had DP Manu enter the final in the same event.” He added
Toor was speaking at a panel discussion "Beyond the Finish Line" on the eve of the TCS World 10 K Bengaluru, in the capital city of Karnataka.
On the inclusion of squash in the 2028 Olympics, one of the leading squash players Joshna Chinnappa admitted that it served as a big motivator for the 37-year-old.
“I think it is very exciting that squash will be in the Olympics, to be honest, it should have been there many years ago"
"It is definitely a motivator for me to really look after my body, choose my tournaments wisely, and train smarter to be able to compete with the young a lot. It is going to be quite an uphill task, but it is there in my mind,” she said.
While the athletes shared stories on their greatest personal successes, four-time, Olympic gold medallist Valerie Adams, opined that her bronze medal in Tokyo held more weight for her than her gold medal triumphs.
“When I embarked on my fifth Olympic journey, I had recently become a mother of two and nearly lost my life having my son, the world had also turned to a lockdown mode because of Covid. Despite all this to be able to go there, hold my medal and the picture of my children was emotional and exhilarating.”
