"I do expect us to do better than seven medals" - Pullela Gopichand ahead of Paris Olympics 2024

The Paris Olympics 2024 officially start tomorrow with the opening ceremony scheduled later today. The archery ranking round was held yesterday (July 25) where the Indian contingent performed pretty well and have got a good seeding for the next level of the competition.

This time out, the Indian ministry is expecting India to win 10 medals at the Summer Games, three more than what the nation achieved three years back in Tokyo. Notably, the Indian athletes look more prepared and confident compared to the previous editions.

A legend in the sport of badminton and also the mentor of PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth, Gopichand recently spoke in an interview to News9.

Gopichand shared his expectations from the Indian contingent and how the fitness of the athletes need to be at its very best in order to showcase their best of abilities. He said:

"I do expect us to do better than seven medals. In badminton, we had one medal last time, a bronze. And I hope that we better than that. And I think we will. As far as in general sport is concerned, I think sport in the last ten years has seen a phenomenal rise."

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"Nerves also play an important role" - Pullela Gopichand

Not only does the physical fitness impact an athlete's performance on the pitch or court, the mental well-being is also important.

The athletes need to work on their mental conditioning along with the workout sessions so that they can overcome the mental hurdles that come their way.

Speaking about how the athletes need to keep themselves fit both physically and mentally, Pullela Gopichand said:

"The Olympics arrive once every four years. So you have to be in the right fitness. You have to be in the form of your life. If sometimes you are unlucky, you could have an injury during that period. Of course, there is the amount of work which you need to put in. Also, you need to peak at the right time and also have the confidence, the guts, to actually grab the opportunity."

He added:

"I think just because Olympics happen once in four years and it's a huge thing, especially in our country, nerves also play an important role. So I think overall it turns out to be a combination of good preparation and a bit of luck and how good you are mentally to grab the opportunity."