I want to sustain my form: Gopi Chand

By Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, MARCH 14. If P. Gopi Chand won the All England badminton championship with his sheer grit, stamina and determination, the Indian shuttler on Wednesday showed his patience in facing up to the endless stream of questions from the mediapersons at a felicitation function got up by the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

``Words cannot express what I truly feel after winning the prestigious championship,'' Gopi Chand said after the Petroleum Minister, Mr. Ram Naik, honoured him with a crystal trophy as an appreciation from the oil sector.

Being at the centerstage of all the attention, Gopi Chand, who was given a tumultuous reception at the Indira Gandhi International airport on Tuesday night, was a focused person. ``I want to sustain my form and ranking. I will work hard towards retaining the position where I am now,'' he said.

After giving a miss to the Swiss Open championship that was to commence from Thursday, Gopi arrived in the Capital and became an instant celebrity with the media as hundreds of them thronged at the Press Information Bureau conference hall.

Mr. Naik said with Gopi Chand's win, it was not only the people in the oil sector (Gopi is an employee of Indian Oil Corporation), but the entire nation that had been celebrating.

The Petroleum Minister felt that with Gopi Chand's win Indian badminton should get an extra boost and produce champions more too often.

``This title has come after a gap of 21 years... we have good coaches today, Gopi Chand's performance has proved it... the coaches must now ensure that many more champions are born to follow Gopi Chand's footsteps.''

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) President, Mr. V.K. Verma, said the euphoria created in the country following Gopi Chand's win would help find more sponsors for the sport. He exhorted the IOC Chairman, Mr. M.A. Pathan, to place badminton on the most preferred list on the sponsorship programme of the Petroleum Sports Control Board (PSCB).

``To improve the quality and generate more human resources in badminton, junior and sub-junior players require attention,'' Mr. Verma said adding that the PSCB could sponsor junior and sub- junior nationals and help the BAI in attaining the desired goals.

The Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mr. Santosh Gangwar, also congratulated Gopi Chand and said ``younger generation should dream for superlative performances in the field of sports.''

Ganguly Prasad to be Gopi Chand's travelling coach

NEW DELHI, MARCH 14. The All England champion P. Gopi Chand will have Ganguly Prasad as his personal travelling coach for the rest of the season as the champion prepares for the World Grand Prix finals in Brunei and the World Championship in Seville, Spain.

Gopi Chand has proposed the name of 39-year-old Prasad, with whom he has been training since 1999, to the Badminton Association of India (BAI) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

``He (Prasad) understands me well and knows all my strengths and weaknesses. His presence was a big help during the All England,'' Gopi Chand told The Hindu on Wednesday.

``He has asked for a travelling coach and I think there should be no problem in fulfilling his wish,'' said the BAI President, Mr. V.K. Verma.

Prasad, the chief coach at SAI's Centre of Excellence in Bangalore, said if given a chance (to travel with Gopi Chand throughout the season) it would greatly help the champion shuttler.

``I expected him to win a medal at the Sydney Olympic Games last year. Maybe now its the time for him to aim for an Olympic gold, but for that he has to sustain the form under proper guidance,'' Mr. Prasad said.

Gopi Chand, who was felicitated by the Petroleum Ministry on Wednesday, thanked all his coaches, particularly, the former All England champion Prakash Padukone and Mohammad Arif for their support and guidance.

- Our Sports Reporter

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Next     : Laxman and Dravid transcend time, tame the Aussie
           attack