NEW DELHI, Aug 12:
The lone Indian to challenge the Chinese domination in badminton, Saina Nehwal, is hoping that her London Olympics bronze medal will inspire at least half a dozen more to join her at the top level and be a threat to the traditional powerhouse.
“I want more players to come from India because I want to make it like China where you have 5-6 players dominating and I want something like that in India as well. Sometimes we are playing against 11 Chinese, they have to come up with one strategy but I have to come up with so many,” Saina said in an interview.
The 22-year-old earned India its first Olympic medal in badminton when she clinched the bronze at the Wembley Arena in London last week.
But her shocking quarterfinal defeat in her maiden appearance at the mega-event in Beijing four years ago, still rankles Saina.
“I am very happy that I won a medal but I can’t forget that match (Beijing). It is very difficult to forget that because I could have reached the semifinals in my first attempt and I lost it. Losing in Beijing was disheartening, it was an easy match but I made it difficult,” Saina said today.
Saina had lost in the quarterfinal of the Beijing Games despite enjoying an 11-3 lead against Indonesian Maria Kristin Yulianti. But she made up for that when she was adjudged winner after a knee injury forced world number two Xin Wang of China to forfeit her bronze medal play-off match. (PTI)
Asked about the transition she went through in these four years, Saina said, “I don’t take pressure now because I have played so many tournaments. I have also matured as a player, not to give up easily and fight for each point. Before I used to feel pressure but now I am very much Okay with it.”
“I was not going in a very good phase during the India Open and ABC last year but I won the Thailand Open and Indonesia Open, so if I would not have got over the pressure, I would not have won these title, so I am okay with it now,” Saina added.
Saina said ever since she took to the sport, he only aim was to get an Olympic medal.
“I wanted to win an Olympic medal at the age of nine. I wanted the feeling of podium, the medal and finally when I got the medal round the neck, I was on the podium and everything was going like I wanted. It was extremely emotional. I started thinking about the last 13 years of my hard work and I started crying,” she said.
Asked if she is already thinking about the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Saina said: “Rio is still not on my mind, four years is too far off. I am just thinking about the coming tournaments in the next few months. I have to make myself more fitter and stronger.
“It is obviously a dream to play next Olympics. It is not easy to be at the top. I hope that I would be in good shape in the next few years,” she said.
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