Mumbai, July 6 (IANS) Star Indian wrestler Sakshi Malik said winning Olympic medal not only transforms the lives of athletes, but also of their families and villages

India will be sending a contingent of close to 120 sportspersons to the Olympics, including an Athletics team led by the defending champion in the men’s javelin Neeraj Chopra, a 21-member shooting team and a 16- member men’s hockey squad.

Malik speaking at the panel discussion ‘An Olympic Dream: Sport in India,’ hosted by the JSW Group, Asia Society India Centre, and the Consulate General of France in Mumbai, three of India’s most prominent athletes shared their inspiring journeys and reflections on the transformative power of Olympic dreams.

Sakshi Malik, an Olympic bronze medallist in wrestling narrated her story of triumph and the ripple effects of her success. “An Olympic dream is not just an athlete’s dream; it’s the dream of an entire family,” said Malik emphasizing how her victory had brought about profound changes not only in her life but also in her community.

After her historic medal win, the Chhotu Ram Stadium in Rohtak, where she trained, was transformed from having a tin roof to becoming an air-conditioned hall. A stadium named after her was even built in her village.

Malik spoke passionately about the surge in popularity of wrestling among girls in Haryana. “Everywhere you go, there’s a stadium every ten minutes, and you’ll find girls training in each one. The old mindset that girls couldn’t wrestle has changed dramatically.”

For the first time, five girls are going to the Olympics for wrestling while only one boy is going. Girls, who were once suppressed, are now boldly stepping forward and excelling in wrestling,” she added.

Dipa Karmakar, India’s pioneering gymnast, reflected on the bittersweet experience of finishing fourth at the Rio Olympics. “As an athlete, the fourth place can be the worst place to be in. Not just for me, any athlete who finishes in fourth place can never sleep,” she shared.

Despite the heartbreak, Karmakar emphasized the importance of resilience and learning from setbacks. Her journey has spurred a cultural shift in Tripura, where gymnastics is now embraced with renewed enthusiasm. The 2016 Olympics led to significant infrastructure improvements, including the installation of crucial equipment like foam pits, which were previously unavailable.

Karmakar also highlighted the critical need for funding and support at the grassroots level. “Until we are successful, we don’t get anything as athletes. Gymnastics was such a sport where people didn’t know much about it, and girls were underestimated,” she said.

If this was done earlier, our Olympic medal count would have been in double digits. But I believe it’s going to happen in the upcoming Paris Olympics,” Karmakar predicted, expressing hope and encouragement for the future.

Priya Mohan, a rising star in athletics, shared her perspective on the journey of an athlete and the importance of perseverance. “I believe that every athlete has their own timeline for success. Most athletes peak around 24 or 25 years old,” she stated, drawing inspiration from competitors like Alison Phillips.

Mohan underscored the influence of Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal win, which she witnessed while training for the World Junior Championship. “That Olympic gold, along with India’s record haul of three medals, transformed our mindset. It showed us that achieving such success is possible for us too,” she said.

Parth Jindal, founder of JSW sports further elaborated about Neeraj Chopra, “Neeraj Chopra’s story is a remarkable testament to talent identification and resilience. We discovered Neeraj in 2015 through our sports excellence program, and in 2016, he shattered the World Junior Championship record and won a gold medal in Poland with an 86.48-meter throw. Had he achieved that throw at the Rio Olympics, he would have secured a bronze medal. His journey only became more compelling from there.

–IANS

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Las Vegas, July 6 (IANS) Brazil and Uruguay are all set for what could turn out to be the match of the tournament in the quarterfinals of Copa America at the Allegiant Stadium.

A lot of conversation on this match surrounds how Brazil will cope without their star player Vinicius Junior who has been suspended for the game after picking his second yellow card of the tournament against Colombia.

Ahead of the game against Uruguay, Brazil head coach Dorival Junior confirmed that 17-year old Endrick will be starting for the nine-time Copa America winners.

“Endrick. It will be Raphinha, Rodrygo and Endrick. We lost an important player, but we gained another searching for his chance. Who knows, this could be Endrick’s moment,” said Dorival Jr to reports in the pre-game press conference.

The Selecao have been struggling in recent outings and finished second in Group D behind Colombia setting up the game against Uruguay in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

The Real Madrid forward is Brazil’s highest goalscorer at the tournament with two to his name and will be missed in the duel against the record champions.

“He’s not specifically a fixed No 9, a reference point, who prefers to basically plays as a pivot. He’s a player who drops in and out and has this movement,”added the Brazil head coach.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Last year’s runners-up Ona Jabeur is enjoying her time at Wimbledon so far after reaching the third round of the tournament with successive straight wins in the opening matches.

Tunisian tennis player said her playing style suits grass courts and she hopes to do well in the ongoing Grand Slam.

“It’s an honour for me, representing my country and my continent. Obviously, there’s a bit of pressure, but it’s a good pressure, a good responsibility to send a positive message. I hope I’m doing it well. I will continue doing that. I hope I can inspire more and more and see more players from my country and my continent being here. I am enjoying every moment, and I love playing on grass so much that my game really suits this beautiful court. I’m just trying to be here, enjoy every moment, enjoy the crowd, the love of the crowd, and prepare like I prepared for the other years,” Jabeur told Star Sports.

Talking about her wish to visit India soon, she said, “I need just 2 million more Indian fans, please, follow me. I need to go, seriously, I need to go to India. I’ve never been there. This is one of the items on my bucket list. My fans in India, I’m looking forward to coming one day. I really love the country and I want to discover it more and more. So when I have time, I really want to go and enjoy it there. It’s coming from the heart, really. And Sania (Mirza) will be there.”

American tennis player and current world no.2 Coco Gauff shared her thoughts on dealing with emotions and expectations coming into Wimbledon.

“Just treating it and enjoying it, honestly. I think there’s always going to be expectations put on me, but I take it as an honour. I think if people expect big things from you, that means you’re doing something right, so hopefully I can continue to do things right,” she said.

Reflecting on her US Open win and aspirations for Wimbledon, she added, “It would mean a lot, especially here at Wimbledon; it’s probably the most prestigious tournament we have, and it would be an honour to maybe hold that trophy. But if not, I would love to at least win another slam to get that feeling again.”

Jabeur will take on Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the third-round clash on Saturday while Gauff will lock horns with countrymate Emma Navarro in the round of 16 match on Saturday.

–IANS

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Panipat, July 6 (IANS) Olympic gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s mother Saroj Devi said she will send a special ‘churma’ (a popular delicacy from Haryana and Rajasthan) for Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the latter requested for it during a recent interaction with the athlete.

“We wish that Neeraj wins the gold medal again and get the opportunity to meet PM Modi again. Yes, this time I’ll send special churma made with ‘desi ghee’, ‘shakkar’ and ‘khand’,” Saroj Devi told IANS.

On Thursday, PM Modi hosted Paris Olympic-bound athletes at his residence to have a conversation with them. During such a chat with Neeraj, PM asked the javelin thrower to bring homemade ‘churma’ for him prepared by his mother.

Neeraj casually greeted the PM, saying, “Namaskar sir, kaise hain?” (Hello sir, how are you?) To which PM Modi replied with a chuckle, “Mai vaisa hi hu” (I am just the same).

PM Modi then joked, “Mera choorma abhi tak aaya nahi” (I haven’t received my churma yet), sparking laughter all around.

With a shy smile, Neeraj replied, “Is baar Haryana wala choorma khilayenge sir, pichli baar Delhi ka cheeni wala khaya tha” (This time I will treat you with churma from Haryana; last time we had the sugary one from Delhi).

The PM eagerly expressed his craving for homemade churma, saying, “Mujhe tumhari maa ke haath ka choorma khana hai” (I want to savour churma made by your mother).

After their humorous banter, PM Modi wished Neeraj all the best for the Paris Olympics, urging him to stay fit and injury-free.

Neeraj’s father Satish Kumar said his son detailed his training and preparations for the Olympics to PM Modi.

“Neeraj told PM that his training is going well and he’ll give his all to clinch the second gold medal for the country,” he said.

“He has missed some of the events in the past due to groin injury but now he has recovered and wants to focus on the Olympics. He wants to better his previous record and win a medal. He is currently training for 6-8 hours daily under the guidance of his coach and physio,” Satish added.

–IANS

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Dusseldorf, July 6 (IANS) Switzerland have perhaps been the best team in the 2024 European Championship after Spain and Germany. The team has proved that they are up for a challenge as they defeated defending champions Italy in the Round of 16.

Ahead of their matchup with England, head coach Murat Yakin has promised that side ‘will cause England problems.’

“England have a lot of quality. We don’t know what they plan to do but we have shown already that we can mix it against big teams – against the defending champions [Italy] and the hosts [Germany]. We will cause England problems,” said Yakin to reporters in the post game press conference.

Switzerland were in Group A and their impressive outing saw them finish with seven points and finish second on goal difference. The side then went on to dominate Italy in their first knockout game with a 2-0 victory.

“I assume that England has enough quality to play well in a quarter-final but we are in good shape and have shown that we are ready to upset big teams. Why not give big England a problem and play our game and see what happens?,” added the Swiss head coach.

Switzerland will be playing their fifth ever major tournament quarter-final. They have been eliminated at this stage in all four of their previous attempts, this is the most any European nation has featured in quarter-finals of major tournaments without ever participating in a semi-final.

The winner of the tie will be facing the winner of the Netherlands vs Turkey quarter-final.

“Everyone is working towards a common goal. We’re happy to be here, living the moment. The mood in the camp is very good. We are developing together,” concluded the 49-year old.

–IANS

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