Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Indian badminton players on Sunday, 22 May. The players shared their experiences from the recent Thomas Cup and Uber Cup. He also held a brief "question and answer" round with the players and said their achievement was "not a small feat".
Meanwhile, the shuttlers said they were "proud that we have the backing of our prime minister".
Last week, the Indian team created history by winning the first-ever Thomas Cup crown in the tournament's 73-year-old history. The men's team beat Indonesia in the finals, the most successful country in Thomas Cup.
"I congratulate the whole team on behalf of the nation. This is not a small feat," said PM Narendra Modi. "The 'Yes, we can do it' attitude has become the new strength in the country today. I assure you that the government will give all possible support to our players," he added.
Lakshya Sen, who helped India create history, said that the PM Modi remembers small things about players. "He pays attention to small, small things. He knew that Almora's bal mithai is very famous, so he had asked me to get it. I got it for him. And he also knew that my grandfather and father also used to play. These small things are very important. Such a big man is saying these things to you, so it feels very nice to talk to him," he said.
Another hero of India's historic win, Kidambi Srikanth, said, "PM took so much time out of his busy schedule to meet us. He called us immediately after the finals, and also spoke to us, and congratulated us. This kind of things definitely help all players to do well. This is something that is unmatchable."
Meanwhile, HS Prannoy said, "It's been a happy moment for us because we won Thomas Cup after 73 years. There was pressure during the quarterfinals as we knew if we lost, we wouldn't get the medal. We were determined to win throughout the various phases."
'PM Modi Always Encourages Players': Gopichand
Chief coach Pullela Gopichand said that PM Modi always encourages players by directly connecting with them irrespective of whether players win a medal or not. "Interactions with the PM are quite consistent. He follows the players and the sport," Gopichand said.
Meanwhile, doubles coach Mathias Boe told NDTV, "I've been a player and won medals but have never been called by my prime minister."
"What motivates me the most is that you never discriminate between medallists and non-medallists. I have learnt a lot in this tournament. Next time, the women's team also has to win," 14-year-old shuttler Unnati Hooda said during the interaction with PM Modi.
(With inputs from NDTV.)
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