Kolkata, March 5: India’s first individual Olympic Games gold medalist Abhinav Bindra today said contemporary athletes need to be in an environment that fosters psychological safety and one in which self-worth is much more important that external validation.
“They will have to train to shut off external distractions. Social media is part of current culture. But they must make sure that primary focus is training and competition. If they take the social media route, they may succeed but that may not sustain success. They must embrace purity in pursuit,” he said in the opening session of Trailblazers, India’s biggest sports conclave.
Answering a question from RevSportz Founder Boria Mazumdar, he said his acceptance of pressure and self-doubt as companions in his sport shooting career helped enhance his self-confidence. “It is uncomfortable. It became easier when I accepted it and focussed on what I had to. When I stopped chasing self-belief and chased self-respect, I was a winner already,” he said.
All-England badminton champion and Dronacharya award winning coach Pullela Gopichand said pressure in the last few years was different than in his first 15 years as a coach. “There is more media attention. More Social Media. More people are involved. I focus on what I can do the best what I can do and stay happy. Forget things that you can’t change,” he said.
After Abhinav Bindra spoke learning from a difficult relationship with a German coach Uwe Riesterer that despite advice can be valuable disagreements and arguments, Pullela Gopichand said that some decision cause pain. “It is sad that these things happen. I let go of players when needed. Badminton is paramount. The system and structure are critical. I wish the players could achieve their full potential and that hurt. From a personal point of view, not at all,” he said.
Tokyo2020 Olympic Games weightlifting silver medalist Mirabai Chanu said back to back medals in Olympic Games and World Championships have helped her. “There will be pressure to win the Asian Games but I can learn from it. I will give my best to achieve that dream. India has prayed for me and given me so much love. I want the blessings and wishes of all Indians,” she said.
Weightlifting National Coach Vijay Sharma, also a Dronacharya Award winner, who took over when India was facing difficult times on the doping front, said took pride in the fact that there has been no positive at the international level during his tenure. “It is a myth that performance can get better with unfair means. We can achieve good targets with clean methods,” he said.