Rohan Chowdhury in Paris
Palak Kohli achieved the feat of qualifying for the Tokyo Paralympics as the youngest badminton player and was also the one who qualified for three events. Palak qualified for two events for the Paris Paralympics, but the journey was not easy.
She overcame obstacles which kept her career at stake. In this exclusive conversation with RervSportz, the 22-year-old shuttler talks about the hardships she overcame to qualify for the Paris Paralympics, her preparations, the support she received from her ‘guru’, Gaurav Khanna and much more.
Here are some of the excerpts from the entire conversation.
Q: With the Paralympics about to start, how are you shaping up in this final stage?
Palak: I’m losing track of weeks! The preparations are in full swing and the full focus is on Paris. Hopefully, it’ll be a good campaign for me.
Q: You were the youngest in your sport in Tokyo. With time, you won several international medals. How important and difficult it is to maintain the focus and not get carried away with the limelight at this young age?
Palak: It is very important to maintain focus. As you mentioned, I was the youngest in Tokyo, and also the only one to qualify for three events. It was a moment of great pride for me but also with a big responsibility. It was a learning curve for me, and I had a great experience in Tokyo which will help me in Paris. Here also I have qualified for two events – the singles and the mixed doubles with Suhas Bhaiya (Yathiraj).
Q: From Tokyo to Paris, it was a journey filled with hardships and challenges. How do you see yourself as a more developed Palak Kohli – the athlete and also as a human being?
Palak: It was a tough journey with lots of ups and downs – from Tokyo to Paris. It was going great during the Tokyo Paralympics and I missed the bronze by a whisker losing in duce. But it was a great experience for me, which helped me get triple medals in the Asia Youth Championships.
🚨 #PalakKohli Exclusive🚨
She was the youngest badminton player in Tokyo Paralympics, @palakkohli2002 is ready to make her mark in #PARIS2024.
She opens up on her preparations, the team chemistry in the contingent, expectations from the Indian team and much more in this… pic.twitter.com/g8h1WeNeWv
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) August 20, 2024
Things were about to get bad for me. A bone oedema was troubling me and the doctors were not sure what it was! With further tests, it was found out that I had a bone tumour which could be fatal and might end my sports career. It was the lowest time for me. People started thinking my career was over and suggested I focus more on my studies. But I was not going to give up. I got the surgery done and it was successful, but I missed so many tournaments and lost my ranking. I had to start from scratch to qualify for the Paris Paralympics. I didn’t get to play any level 1 tournament as I didn’t have a rank. I started with the World Group 3 tournament and topped the group. It was a moment of sheer joy for me because I started my journey back from where I left before the surgery – on the podium.
I think this phase has taught me a lot – to stay humble, to be grateful and not lose hope. I learnt to be mentally strong, and it was the most important thing for me in this phase. Now, today, I see myself as a much stronger version of what I was, ready to take on any challenge in life.
Q: Truly inspirational! How did you get the mental strength in this tough phase? What was your mantra to be mentally fit?
Palak: My guru, Gaurav Khanna sir was instrumental in this phase. He said, “You have to be a good human being first then an athlete.” He always tells me to be a better version of myself, not just as a player but as a human being. It is important to have faith in your abilities and believe that you can. If you think you can’t do something, your mind will start putting in ideas of how not to do it. So, it’s important to stay positive. I always try to be positive. I listen to music and motivational speeches. I do everything that keeps me positive.