Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Young Olympians in Madhya Pradesh are toiling for a berth in the Paris Olympics next year. They are taking part in small tournaments to shine in the biggest of all sports events in the world. On the eve of World Olympic Day, Free Press spoke to a few sportspersons who took part in the Tokyo Olympics, and now they are preparing for the next big game.
Taking small steps
Setting their sights higher, the green horns of the state are looking forward to Paris 2024. To qualify for the Paris Games, they are taking small yet major steps as they look forward to the Asian Games and other international tournaments. "We know what was missing in Tokyo 2020; now we are working for a medal," they said.
"I want to taste gold."
Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Vivek Sagar Prasad said, "I have played many major tournaments in the Indian Squad, but there’s only one thing on my list, and that is that I want to feel like a champion; I want to taste gold. Every time we have to satisfy ourselves with silver and bronze, but now I am looking forward to a gold in various major tournaments."
"My eyes are on an Olympic berth."
Tokyo 2020 Olympian Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar said, "Right now I am focused on getting a berth for the Paris Olympics. I am working on my physical strength and some technical changes in shooting, especially on my lower back. Looking forward to the Asian Games. This time I want to win an Olympic medal."
Aishwary Pratap | FPJ
"Paralympics are Olympics too."
Paralympian Prachi Yadav said, "People still treat Paralympics differently than Olympics; they believe it is easy to win a medal there. In Tokyo 2020, we in the Paralympics won five golds, but no one talked about it. I am looking forward to a berth in Paris in 2024. I know what went wrong in Tokyo. I worked on the shortcomings. Our Olympics qualifiers are near, and I am ready."
