India’s only individual Olympic gold winner Abinav Bindra emphasized on the mental aspect of a sportsperson’s career as critical to success at the highest level.
Bindra who won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing a decade ago reminds of many instances in recent times where he identified mental fortitude as the decisive factor.
Less than a fortnight ago, Japanese teenager Tomokazu Harimoto stunned the reigning world and Olympic champion Ma Long in the quarterfinals of the ITTF Japan Open. And World No. 27 Marco Cecchinato showed 12-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic the exit door in the quarters of the French Open. This goes on to show that mental strength plays a vital role meaning they are equivalent to both practice and physical strength.
For India to win on world stage these cultures needs to be strongly imbibed.
“As a growing sporting nation we must ensure our athletes achieve excellence across various disciplines. We need to invest in our people, in our youth, in our athletes while focusing on mental conditioning.
Source: TOI