Gurugram, March 18 Two-time Olympic medal-winning Indian badminton star P V Sindhu emphasized on Wednesday the need for aspiring athletes to have a good education, warning that it is too "risky" to ignore academics and focus solely on a sporting career that could end with a single injury.
The former world champion made these remarks in a fireside conversation at DPS International, while speaking to educationist Devyani Jaipuria.
The Hyderabadi touched upon several aspects of her own journey to drive home the point, including the self-doubt that she battled before the 2016 Olympics after being sidelined by a stress fracture in her left foot.
"I have been playing for so many years. At some point, you have to retire, right? And that's the truth. You can't be playing sports when you're 45 or 50 or 60 at the highest level.
"And you have to accept that fact, whereas education will always be with you for life, and that will always stay with you," she said, echoing a sentiment expressed by national coach Pullela Gopichand, who has urged parents of aspiring athletes to prioritize education.
"Nobody is born with a silver spoon, and you have to work hard, whether it's in studies or sports...Studies and sports are equally important. I have a MBA. So, I know, it's not easy...you go to training in the morning, come back, study, and then you go for evening sessions.
"Because, at the end of the day, that's the truth, where sports is a very small thing, right? Life-long, you know, you will always have an education by your side. Sport is also important, but not that, you know, completely stop your studies," she asserted.
The 30-year-old is on a break after being stranded in Dubai due to the closure of airspace during the American and Israeli bombing of Iran.
She said sporting injuries can be difficult to recover from, and that's why she would urge budding athletes to always have an academic backup.
"I might sound harsh, maybe they might not understand now, but in the later stage of their lives, they will understand that, yes, studies are also important. Because, you know, sports sometimes, it's very risky, where sometimes you have an injury and you never know how it goes.
"...your life might end, you might have a surgery...injuries...they don't tell you and come, it just happens. At that point of time, you have to make sure that you are ready for everything in life," she said.
She recalled the year 2015 when a stress fracture in her left foot had threatened to end her career and forced her out for six months, leaving her with very little time before the 2016 Olympics. She went on to win a silver medal in that edition of the Games in Rio de Janeiro.
"Everybody tried to stay calm, but obviously it was serious. I was just in time to see the doctor after playing for several weeks with pain. So yes, I have had self-doubt, whether I would play again or not," she recalled.
