‘Medal-fetish is fine but keep it constant’

Moments after receiving the country’s highest sporting honour, Lt-Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said there was nothing wrong with the ...

Moments after receiving the country’s highest sporting honour, Lt-Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said there was nothing wrong with the national obsession for Olympic medals — but it should not be limited to a few months before and after every event.

Rathore, who received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award from President Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhavan today, said the passion would be constructive only if it were lifelong. ‘‘Sport is a way of life and passion is part of it, and instead of limiting it to a specific period after someone wins an Olympic medal, it should be continued. Similarly, the same passion and obsession should percolate down to our training levels and our efforts should be made aimed at excelling.’’

The Olympic silver medallist also said that sport was a way of entertainment and should be pursued in a relaxed manner. ‘‘Show the same level of obsession at school, college, national and international levels, I will have no complaint. All the achievers here today have been rewarded for the passion and obsession they had for medals and continued with it.’’

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Motivation after winning a top competition or medal is usually a problem among sportsmen, but Rathore said that it was up to the individual to do that. ‘‘The day-to-day training is something that has to come from within. You have to motivate yourself to do that. It’s not something that can ever be forced on you.’’

Rathore is headed this weekend for the Asian Shooting Championships in Bangkok, and he is aware of the expectations at home. ‘‘The Games (Olympics) are three years away and I know how to push myself to the extreme. There is no looking back from what I set out to achieve. Last year I stayed so occupied and that was inevitable. I wanted to repay in whatever way I could the affection I received from my country men. Now I will go ‘point-blank’ and be focused on the job at hand,’’ he said.

His views were echoed by Arjuna winner Jyoti Randhawa. He was out of action for most of last season thanks to a back injury but is now fit and tracing the footsteps of Arjun Atwal, who has had the best season last year. ‘‘If I haven’t been at the USPGA qualifiers last year, I was not prepared for that. Now that I have recovered from the injury, I will go all out, try and emulate Atwal,’’ he said.

And as for Devendra, the gold medallist at Athens paraolympics, it was the best recognition and appreciation for his efforts. “I am really happy and I hope the award would motivate me to win more laurels for the country.” He was, however, upset that paraolympics medallists were not considered for other monetary awards by the Sports Ministry.

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Judoka Anita Chanu said she did not expect the award to come her way so early. “But now that it has come, I have to keep my performance level in top flight,” she assured. For discus thrower Anil Kumar’s father, Balbir Singh Sangwan, it was a case of justice delayed but not denied. With Anil Kumar preparing in Hungary for next week’s Asian Championships in Incheon, Sangwan collected the award on his son’s behalf.

The 30-year-old thrower, who missed out on the award after his best showing in the ATF meet at Jakarta in 2000 where he won the gold, has been bestowed with the honour for his silver at the Bangkok Asian Games and the subsequent Asiad in Busan in 2002.