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New Delhi: Little
known Garima Chaudhary from Meerut, the sole judoka representing
India at the London Olympics, feels winning a gold medal is not a
far-fetched dream for her.
The 22-year-old qualified for the Olympics in the 63 kg weight
category, based on the latest rankings released by International
Judo Federation (IJF) May 6.
Garima, who is ranked 88th in the world, secured the continental
quota spot along with Turkmenistan's 63rd ranked Gulnar Hayytbaeva.
Garima qualified for the London Games after consistent
performances at the international level, beginning with the Paris
World championships last year, followed by an impressive showing
in the World Cup in Warsaw and the Asian championship in Tashkent
this year.
"It is a dream come true for me but it doesn't stop here. Now my
aim is to return home with an Olympic medal.
"The 24 judokas competing in my weight are more or less of the
same calibre. In recent months I defeated some of the top judokas
from Belarus and Australia in the World Cup and they will all be
there in London.
"Looking at the field and my recent performances, I am confident
of my chances in the Olympics," Garima told IANS before leaving
for a three-week training stint in Germany and France.
The general perception that Garima should get a medal is
reinforced by her confident interaction with the media.
"For me the Olympics are another sporting event and I am not
gripped by any fear or excitement. I have quietly studied the
videos of all my opponents and I know exactly what I should do
when I face them.
"So there is absolutely no pressure. Yes, I am excited that I will
be India's lone judoka there," said Garima.
Judo, a sport not too highly popular in India, saw Tombi Devi and
Divya Sharma represent the country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Garima said due to the anonymity of the sport in India, she had
absolutely no pressure and that would be a advantage for her when
she faces tougher opponents.
"Not many people know about the sport or me yet, so I go into the
event with hardly any pressure. The pressure will be on the
big-name athletes of Japan and other countries," said Garima, who
won her first medal at the sub-junior nationals in Odisha.
Asked about the reasons behind her taking up the sport, a sly
smile enveloped the Olympian's face.
"As a kid I use to fight a lot and used to beat up my friends. My
parents looking at this pushed me into the sport and I joined the
centre of excellence in Patiala at a very young age.
"From that point on, I have never looked back. I am very lucky
that I met Jiwan (Sharma) sir (her coach), who works at the Centre
of Excellence at Patiala. He has played a huge role in grooming
and developing my skills," she said.
Speaking about her training, Garima said, due to a lack of world
class talent in the country, she had to rely on fighting against
the boys to prepare for the London Games.
"There aren't any world class fighters here, so it gets a little
difficult to train. I have been fighting against the boys to
prepare myself."
She feels she still needs to make some changes to get ready for an
event like the Olympics.
"Earlier my style of fighting was very aggressive and it lacked
control. However, now I have learnt to play the waiting game and
look for the opponents to give me an opening."
Not lacking in courage and grit, she believes she would not be
getting over-awed by the occasion.
"I know many people will be watching and I'm not use to that. But
it wouldn't bother me, my focus will only be on the mat.
It would be my turn to ignore the crowd," she said with a wide
grin.
On a lighter note, she said judo wasn't the only thing in her
life. She loved watching cricket and tennis with Sachin Tendulkar
and Roger Federer being her favourites.
(Santosh Rao can be contacted at santosh.r@ians.in)
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