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Paris Paralympic bronze medallist Nithya opined that the recognition comes as a token of appreciation to all her hard work and stands as a reminder of all the challenges she had to overcome on her journey to stardom.
Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan. (X)
Olympic bronze-winning Indian Para Shuttler Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan, who has been awarded the Arjuna Award for her excellence in the sport, opined that the recognition comes as a token of appreciation to all her hard work and stands as a reminder of all the challenges she had to overcome on her journey to stardom.
“I have seen so many of my co-athletes who are winning awards and are achievers. So, getting one of the national awards is something very prestigious,” she said.
“It is a proud moment for me. All the medals and awards are like a gift for me — a recognition of my hard work, dedication to the game, practising every day, following everything, and being disciplined,” the 19-year-old added.
Nithya opened up on the struggles she faced during her school days with bullying being commonplace and stated that her achievements serve as answers to all the naysayers she had to silence.
“When I was in 6th or 7th standard, there was not much growth in me. In schools, there was bullying. I used to be very sad. I used to cry for every small thing. So, yeah, it’s kind of an answer to them that I can also do something and achieve big,” she added.
“I used to stay inside the house a lot, So just to get me out, my dad was continuously pushing me to play. Badminton has helped me. I feel really free now. Before taking up badminton, I actually wouldn’t speak much. Now, I’m able to speak to many people,” the Paralympian continued.
Nithya shed light on how her father and brother encouraged her to get into sports and shared her interest in cricket before taking up the racquet sport following the Rio Olympics.
“My dad used to play cricket with a big team every Sunday, and I would go with him to watch. My brother was a district player, and I also accompanied him to his academy. Sometimes, we played cricket on the street. However, when I considered taking up cricket, there were no female athletes,” she recollected.
“My brother took up badminton for fitness, and I joined him. Watching Sindhu in 2016 inspired me, and my friends and I started playing badminton in the streets. This sparked my interest in training, and I started practising twice a week, gradually increasing to daily sessions,” she added.
Nithya, who moved to Lucknow to train under Gaurav Khanna, Head Coach of Team India, has recently started to train at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy.
“When COVID hit, I couldn’t train, but once it was over, I resumed and discovered Para badminton. That’s when I moved to Lucknow for training,” added Nithya.
Nithya also expressed her surprise at sportspersons being required to apply for national awards.
Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker’s name was missing from the initial list of nominees for the national awards despite her landmark accomplishments at the Paris Olympic Games, which caused an uproar.
“When I got a call from my team telling me I had to apply for a national award, I was surprised. I didn’t know that athletes had to apply themselves. I always thought the government would recognise and honour athletes directly,”the 19-year-old added.
“The government supports us a lot, and they must be aware of our achievements. They back us in tournaments and training, so I believe they should recognise athletes without us having to apply,” she added.
Nithya touched upon her ambitions going forward stating that she remained focused on the 2028 Olympics slated to be held in Los Angeles.
“Looking ahead to 2025, the Asian Championship will be one of the key Paralympic events this year. Next year, we have the World Championship. My target is to peak by 2028 Los Angeles Games, so there are no shorter goals now—only focusing on the World Championship each year leading up to 2028,” the para-shuttler concluded.
