Sport by chance, champs by design

WOMEN’S DAY OUT Three outstanding young athletes came together to share their journey so far and the challenges ahead to fufil their aspirations for India

NEWDELHI: PV Sindhu doesn’t start her day at 4:30am anymore; Hima Das said her father didn’t want to travel to the Asian Games in Jakarta because he felt it would pressure her; when Heena Sidhu was growing up the only thing she was good at was standing and it was her brother who, the family thought, would represent India in cricket. These were some of the stories shared by the three champions at the 16th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here on Saturday.

Separate lives, separate sport and growing up in separate environment all three mentioned how parental support encouraged them forge a career off the beaten track. It helped that Hima’s father played football and Sindhu’s parents were volleyball players but for Sidhu it was different.

“For my brother, studies were not an option and I liked his life. I tried all sport but was pathetic at all of them. The only thing I was good at was standing and I was smart enough to pick a sport which required standing…but I never thought of shooting as a sport,” said Heena. While reading medicine,heena said she was looking at shooting as a stress-buster. Now, her brother is a engineering geek, said the former World Cup winner.

What also came through is that like Heena, Sindhu and Hima too took to sport for fun. “It just so happened that there was a badminton court nearby. I got interested and said ‘let’s see what happens,’” said Sindhu. Hima began as a football player but switched to running on the advice of Shams Ul Haq, a school teacher in Assam. And for all of them, winning medals is not the only thing.

Sidhu said after 12 years of being a shooter, she is in the process of ‘discovering’ the game, one which she started because she loved it. Preparing to win a medal, keeping that as a target for 10-12 years is not her thing, she said.

“I am just trying to enjoy everyday in the sport,” she said. Like Heena, Sindhu too spoke of staying in the present, focusing on the next point. And, approximately 18 months into 400m, Hima said she chases time, not medals.