You have won the gold and equalled the world record. How is the feeling?
It is special to me, as it came in difficult circumstances. Those who know about the background will understand how important this win was. It is not easy to get back to winning in such a short time. I thank my family and friends.
Things didn’t favour you after you decided to miss the selection trials for the Commonwealth Games?
I had a problem with the policy but didn’t discuss it with anyone. I just wrote it on my blog and then went unavailable for any comments. But yes, it is difficult to come up with a win in such circumstances.
Did you want to quit the sport?
Once you reach a certain height, and something like this happens to a sportsman, he is left with two options: One, walk away and maintain his dignity. I was very close to doing that, as for an individual, it is very difficult to fight against the system. Yes, I felt like quitting then, but it was God’s grace and people close to me backed me. I chose the second option of sticking to my talent and work hard.
Do you still feel the selection policy is wrong?
I have stopped thinking about it and I don’t think I should go back to the topic again. But, I still feel that one thing was wrong with the policy. The policy was in retrospective. If a policy is made, it should be implemented from the date it is made and not in retrospective. This happened then and spoilt my chances for the Commonwealth Games. But it is an old matter now, and I don’t want to get back into that. I should rather be concentrating on my future.
So London must be your next goal?
Absolutely. My aim is to now qualify for London. I am working hard to book a berth for the Games and the coming two months will see a lot of hard work from me. But I am not bothered about results, as my job is to work hard, rest is upon my destiny.
It must be a roller-coaster ride for you since Athens?
It has been a journey with a lot of ups and downs. It has been amazing so far and I have been privileged to be a part of it. I have learnt a lot in these many years.
You have not been blogging of late.
One of the foremost reasons was that I was struggling to motivate myself. There was so much negativity around, and also I had nothing to update, hence I kept away from my blog. But I am now back to the Internet and have blogged my views on the sports policy.
What are your views on sports minister Ajay Maken, as he seems to be active on Twitter and other modes of communication to interact with sportspersons?
Out of the five or six sports ministers I have seen since the time I have been a sportsman myself, I feel there are two ministers, who have given a great sense of comfort and accessibility to the sportspersons. One was Sunil Dutt saab and second is Maken. He is very accessible to the sportspersons and goes out of the way to interact with them. Moreover, I must say he is a gutsy minister, who doesn’t mind going against powerful politicians.
Comments