Badminton legend Prakash Padukone reacted strongly to India’s disappointing performance in badminton at the Paris Olympics after his ward Lakshya Sen lost the men’s singles bronze medal match on Monday, August 5. Padukone said each and every demand of Indian athletes’ was met in the lead-up to the Olympics and that he expected a better show from them, especially the badminton contingent.
Indian shuttler failed to medal at the Olympics for the first time since 2008. At the 2012 Olympics, Saina Nehwal won the country’s first badminton medal – women’s singles bronze. PV Sindhu followed suit in Rio Olympics with a Silver and the Tokyo Olympics with a bronze.
“… I am a little disappointed that we couldn’t get one medal from badminton,” Prakash Padukone told reporters in Paris after Lakshya Sen’s bronze medal match.
Prakash Padukone lauded the Sports Ministry and the other stakeholders for offering complete support to the athletes in the lead-up to the Olympics, but rued the disappointing performances in Paris.
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“We were contenders for 3 medals. So, at least, one I would have been happy. I am personally disappointed. But, having said that, this time, the government, the SAI and the foundations, the TOPs, everybody have done their bit. So, I have nothing against it… I don’t think anybody could have done anything more than what the government has done, the Sports Ministry, TOPs has done. It’s high time the players also need to take some responsibility.
“All these years we could say there were not enough facilities or encouragement. But, I think this time, it’s only better. Especially, the top 30 players, I am not just talking about badminton. Across all sports, the top 30-40 who had chances of winning medals, were given whatever they wanted. Sometimes, even if they were unreasonable demands, they have been met,” he added.
India headed to the Paris Olympics with hopes of winning more than one medal in badminton. The pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, the Asian Games champions, were backed to win a historic Gold medal while PV Sindhu, HS Prannoy and Lakshya Sen were in the fray in the singles campaign.
As many as seven shutters headed to Paris with high hopes, but Lakshya, who was the last to qualify for the Games, reached the farthest.
Source Agencies
