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KOLKATA: Tarundeep Rai remains the rare Indian sportsperson whose preparation for the Tokyo Olympics has not been affected much due to the pandemic. The recurve archer decided not to return home and stayed back at the Army Sports Institute in Pune where the national camp resumed this month.
“I have a kid (son) back home, so returning was a bit tricky when the country went into the first lockdown. I didn’t want to carry the virus for my family,” the archer was quoted as saying during the lockdown period.
While everyone left the camp in March-end, the Olympian spent time in dry practice along with focusing on fitness aspects.
The Arjuna award winner planned to retire after the 2020 Olympics, but now with the Tokyo Games being pushed back to 2021, he decided to extend his stint for a year more.
“I want to give my best shot at the final goal of my career which is winning an Olympic medal for the country,” a determined Tarundeep told fellow Indian archer Atanu Das during an online interaction.
“It’s tough time for me and my family. I must have spent only around six months with my son, who is eight years old, due to my training schedule,” Tarundeep pointed out. “But I have told my family that I will return home with the (Olympic) medal only,” the army man said.
“I lost almost 20 kgs in the last two years,” he said. “I am not growing any younger, but now am feeling much like the 2003 Tarundeep when I first got into the Indian side,” he stated.
The 36-year-old, who has already secured a quota for India at the 2021 Olympics along with Atanu and Pravin Jadhav, still could not forget India’s elimination against Japan in the first of the elimination round in 2012 London Games.
“Japan rallied to take the match to tie-break after we were leading 4-2. In the last set, I hit one shot at 8. Given a chance, I would have liked to convert that into a 10,” Tarundeep, who took part in 2004 Games too, stated.
With no international or domestic competitions scheduled in the near future, the Sikkim archer agreed that it’s difficult to keep the focus. “It’s always better to have an objective in front. But I understand under these unusual conditions, we need to just keep practising hard,” he said.
“I have a kid (son) back home, so returning was a bit tricky when the country went into the first lockdown. I didn’t want to carry the virus for my family,” the archer was quoted as saying during the lockdown period.
While everyone left the camp in March-end, the Olympian spent time in dry practice along with focusing on fitness aspects.
The Arjuna award winner planned to retire after the 2020 Olympics, but now with the Tokyo Games being pushed back to 2021, he decided to extend his stint for a year more.
“I want to give my best shot at the final goal of my career which is winning an Olympic medal for the country,” a determined Tarundeep told fellow Indian archer Atanu Das during an online interaction.
“It’s tough time for me and my family. I must have spent only around six months with my son, who is eight years old, due to my training schedule,” Tarundeep pointed out. “But I have told my family that I will return home with the (Olympic) medal only,” the army man said.
“I lost almost 20 kgs in the last two years,” he said. “I am not growing any younger, but now am feeling much like the 2003 Tarundeep when I first got into the Indian side,” he stated.
The 36-year-old, who has already secured a quota for India at the 2021 Olympics along with Atanu and Pravin Jadhav, still could not forget India’s elimination against Japan in the first of the elimination round in 2012 London Games.
“Japan rallied to take the match to tie-break after we were leading 4-2. In the last set, I hit one shot at 8. Given a chance, I would have liked to convert that into a 10,” Tarundeep, who took part in 2004 Games too, stated.
With no international or domestic competitions scheduled in the near future, the Sikkim archer agreed that it’s difficult to keep the focus. “It’s always better to have an objective in front. But I understand under these unusual conditions, we need to just keep practising hard,” he said.
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