We have seen it happen before. Archer Deepika Kumari went to the 2012 London Olympics as world No 1 but then watched her dreams get shatter...
We have seen it happen before. Archer Deepika Kumari went to the 2012 London Olympics as world No 1 but then watched her dreams get shattered as she struggled to cope with the pressure. Leading into the 2016 Olympics, Jitu Rai was one of India’s best hopes for a medal. The Nepal-born shooter was ranked second in the world in the 50m pistol event and third in the 10m air pistol event but he went to pieces in Rio and never recovered.
These are just two of many examples of athletes succumbing to pressure. The expectations of the nation and of the athletes themselves create a toxic cocktail that can derail the best of preparations. If you don’t have a method to deal with it, things don’t end well.
But over the years, we have seen some athletes figure things out. Shooter Abhinav Bindra famously went into a bubble for almost a year before the 2008 Olympics where he won gold. Tennis ace Leander Paes, who won a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics, uses the pressure to raise the level of his game. Under pressure, they found a way to get better and that is what the best athletes in the world...
