8 quotes by Indian athletes that prove their struggle is real

The Indian sports stars, over the years, have challenged poverty and lack of facilities to make their mark at the international stage. Despite innumerable obstacles, they have managed to perform well consistently at the global stage, and though they have managed to achieve the peaks of fame, the athletes still remember their days of struggle.

Here are a few quotes from some high achievers, which gives a glimpse of the struggle days of our premier players.

Milkha Singh

"I would not stop till I had filled up a bucket with my sweat. I would push myself so much that in the end I would collapse and I would have to be admitted to hospital, I would pray to God to save me, promise that I would."

The Flying Sikh's journey to brilliance was filled with boulders, but Singh never let it hamper his dreams. After his entire village in Gobindpur Kot had been massacred, including both his parents and his two sisters, Milkha Singh took to running to help eradicate the demons of his past. On days, he would run as if his life depended on it, which often caused him physical pain and fatigue as well.

Vijender Singh

"Aap jaise 24 ghante AC mei rehne wale, ghar se car se jahaaz Mein pEr rakhne wale, 5 star mei rehne wale logon ko choti choti Cheezein na samajh mei aati hai aur na uska asar hota hai. Zameen par aaiye phir dekhiye kya ho raha hai."

Vijender Singh, India's Olympic medalist, was born into a family that struggled hard to make day-to-day ends meet. His father was a bus driver, and often drove extra hours to pay for Vijender and his brother Manoj's education. It thus is hardly surprising that despite all the fame the now-pro boxer has managed to achieve, he has been unable to forget the woes that he had to face.

Neeraj Chopra

"My village still does not have a playground. Whenever I stay there, I need to practice on a road."

The javelin thrower recently made news after he managed to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Hailing from Panipat in Haryana, Chopra had to practice on the road for most parts of his childhood, but it did not hinder him from achieving great feats. A World Junior Champion, Chopra clinched gold in the 2016 South Asia Games, the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018.

Dutee Chand

"My main concern is to acquire a new pair of spike shoes, as mine are worn out. The running shoes are quite expensive, and I request the state government to provide a set of tracksuit and a pair of running shoes so that I could give my best performance."

The sprinter's quote after qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympics shows the abject state of affairs in Indian sports. Then 20, Dutee, who was involved in a long tussle to prove her gender, became only the second sprinter after PT Usha to qualify for the multi-national event after she clocked 11.30 seconds at a 100 metre meet at Kazakhstan.

Deepika Kumari

"I know I get criticized when I don't do well, but I know just how much hard work and effort that I have put in."

The archer Deepika Kumari's journey is yet another case of an athlete fighting her way through a number of obstacles. The daughter of an auto-rickshaw driver and a nurse, Deepika grew up in Ratu Chati, a village 15 kms away from Ranchi. As her family could not afford professional archery equipment, Kumari grew up practising with bows and arrows made of bamboos.

P T Usha

"My life started with struggle. My father ran a small cloth store and we were never financially secure."

India's first sprinter to play at the Olympics, PT Usha's agonizing tale of missing a medal at the 1984 Games by just a millisecond is well documented. However, she had to deal, not only with poverty, but ill health as well in her childhood, and had to fight her way through to success. Called the 'queen of Indian track and field' Usha won a number of accolades in her career, and set the precedent for athletics in the country.

OP Jaisha

"Hardships confronted us from my childhood days but I’m glad that we as a family could tide over it."

The long distance runner, who had fainted while participating in the 42 kms event at the Rio 2016 Olympics as no refreshments were served to her, OP Jaisha even ate mud on days to survive in her childhood. After her father met with an accident, forcing him to be bed-ridden, her depression-ridden mother had to take care of her three daughters. Their only source of income, three cows, died soon too, plunging the family into starvation. Qualifying for the Olympics despite all her struggles remains an inspiring tale.

Hima Das

"Both my parents were rice farmers. I could not afford shoes, but they asked me to make the best of what I have."

The Dhing Express would initially play football without shoes, before her PT teacher, impressed by her speed, nudged Das to participate in inter-district competitions. Despite not being well off, the youngster was encouraged by her parents to follow her dreams, and their sacrifices paid rich dividends when she became the first Indian to win a gold at the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships in 2018.