It all started when my coach suggested I participate in the selections of the Indian team for The 55th ITF Anniversary World Championship held at Minsk, Belarus. The selection process was tedious. Everyone was willing to fight for a slot in the team. On day-2 of the selection, I walked in with full confidence but I was surprised as they had cut the size of the team by half. This made me a little overwhelmed at first, but then I came to realize that I had made it this far and won Nationals two years back by believing in myself, I could get selected. I gave my best in all rounds and before I knew it, I was one among the 10 people who had a selection letter in hand.
When our training camp first started, it was hard to wake up early every day at 4.30 am and keep up with the rapid pace and rigor of training which lasted 2-3 hours. I found myself asking if I was good enough to represent the country. My coaches, parents, and friends supported me through these days and helped me realize that I had made it with hard work and perseverance; that if I continued with the same, I could reach greater heights. The training experience was one of the best I could have gotten. Coaches from all over the country came to train us and shared their knowledge and experience in different fighting and defensive techniques. My fellow teammates too helped me a lot and I am forever indebted to them for the support and help they offered. As days passed, our training camp with the coaches and fellow teammates started to feel like a family that was giving its all to learn and help one another.
10th of December, the day we were boarding our flight wearing the Indian flag felt surreal. We were all pumped with energy and excitement for the coming days. The competition was to be held at Velódromo de la Arena de Minsk, when we got there we were shocked to see the size and scale of the event. Even me being the tallest in the Indian contingent appeared like a minion in front of competitors from countries like Russia, Belarus, Estonia. But we had an unwavering resolve to fight for the country. Watching my teammates fight and the constant encouragement from the Coaches lit the fire inside me to fight it hard.
In the end, Team India won 9 Bronze, 2 Silver, and 1 Gold. We later learnt from our Grand Master that this was the most medals team India had won in any World Championship. I feel proud to have contributed 2 of these bronze medals.
With this experience, I learned that dreaming high and believing in yourself with the right amount of hard work is always the formula for success.
