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Keep expectations to lowest: Gopichand's advice to athletes

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 2/22/2020 10:58:17 AM

New Delhi, Feb 21 India badminton coach Pullela Gopichand said it's important for athletes to give their best when it comes to preparation for the Olympics but said they must look at avoiding undue pressure. India badminton coach Pullela Gopichand has high hopes from his star pupils at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics but constantly stressed on the fact that the athletes should concentrate more on the process and do the right things in the lead up to the mega-event. PV Sindhu was the only student from the Gopichand Academy who managed to bag a medal at the last Olympics in Rio in 2016 and is once again the biggest hope for India from badminton this year. Pressure will be immense on Sindhu to change the colour of her medal from silver to gold this year but Gopichand just wants her to remain grounded and prepare as well as she can for the Olympics. "There will be pressure but Sindhu has delivered in the big tournaments all throughout in the last few years which is really fantastic and this time I hope it's the same. She has always done well with good preparation and this time around we have some time before the Olympics and I do hope that she delivers. "If you treat the Olympics like some super event then you are not going to be successful. Big tournaments need good preparation but if you put undue pressure on yourself then it's not a great way of achieving success. It's important to keep grounded, do the simple things right and consistently and hopefully the medal will come," Gopichand told indiatoday. in at the launch of Boria Majumdar and Nalin Mehta's book - 'Dreams of a Billion, India and the Olympic Games' - in New Delhi. The 46-year-old former All-England badminton champion also had important advice for the athletes who are preparing to qualify for the Tokyo Games. Gopichand is of the opinion that the athletes should be realistic in their expectations before heading into such an important sporting event. "It's important to keep it simple and focus on the right things, which is to train well, rest well and to keep your expectations to the lowest and focus on the things which need to be done," Gopichand said. It's going to need some good performances: Gopichand on Saina, Srikanth Olympic qualification Speaking about Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth's chances of making the cut to the Tokyo Olympics, Pullela Gopichand said the twostar shuttlers have the confidence to get the job done in the last few months of the qualifying period. Saina and Srikanth are not in the best of forms and need a supremely consistent run in the remaining tournaments if they are qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. "We've got 7 events (in badminton) for the qualification so yes there is a possibility. I hope they do qualify but having said that, it's going to need some good performances from them which they are capable of. The last few months haven't been great but they've had good preparation and I hope that they have the confidence and luck to get through the qualification."