With the spread of coronavirus wreaking havoc on the athletes’ preparations for the Tokyo Games, Abhinav Bindra, India’s only Olympic gold medallist in shooting, makes it clear that they need to deal with such situations.
“Performing at the highest level in sports require adaptability. Coronavirus or no, they are going to the Olympics. This is a situation which is new for everybody and they need to adapt to it and prepare to the best of their abilities” Bindra said at the launch of Boria Majumdar and Nalin Mehta’s book, Dreams of a Billion.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief, Thomas Bach, had earlier encouraged athletes to continue their preparations at ‘full steam’. And Bindra is of a similar opinion. “The Games are being prepared to be on scheduled as the IOC chief said yesterday. The best experts are monitoring the situation, there will be a time when there will be clarity. No point in speculating on whether Games will be postponed,” Bindra said.
He is also confident of Indians faring well in Tokyo. “The current lot of athletes are young and fearless. I think that’s a very happy space to be in,” said Bindra, revealing that some of them do seek his advise.
“What I can tell them is my experiences, things that I did wrong, things that I learnt. At the end of the day, they have to find their way. They just can’t follow me and copy what I did. If they have to succeed, they have to find their path,” Bindra said. “I am very open if they seek my opinion. I will not actively try to put something into their minds. But if I am asked, I am more than happy to share my experiences.”
