New Delhi, Oct 16 Soft tennis player Jay Meena on Friday recalled how school rustication led him to the sport and how he overcame repeated quarterfinal disappointments before scripting history with India’s maiden Asian Games medal in the discipline.
Meena described the quarterfinal stage as a “nightmare” during his 16-year sporting career, while reflecting on the setbacks and opportunities that shaped his journey.
“The life of a sportsperson is no less than a roller-coaster ride. You will not believe it, but in these five days, I have seen the entire hard work of my 16-year career,” Meena said while speaking at Doordarshan’s sports conclave ‘Khel Mahakumb’.
“It is not that I do not give 100 per cent in my first and second matches. I give my 100 per cent in every match, but the quarterfinals have been a nightmare for me, now I believe it’s all a part of destiny,” he added.
Meena recalled that he had been rusticated from school and struggled to secure admission elsewhere before joining a school run by his coach, which had two tennis courts.
The rustication proved to be a blessing in disguise, as Meena went on to represent the country on the international stage.
“Had I not been rusticated… I would not have become a player or made history for the country,” said Meena, adding that he discovered soft tennis during the summer vacations after coming across the courts.
The 24-year-old had reached the men’s singles quarterfinals at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 but went a step further at the 2026 edition in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Meena defeated the Philippines’ Sherwin Nuguit 4-3 in a thrilling quarterfinal, recovering from a 3-5 deficit in the deciding game to win four consecutive points and secure a place in the semifinals. The victory assured India its first-ever Asian Games medal in soft tennis.
He subsequently lost to Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka in the semifinals but secured a historic bronze medal.
Barwal says marathon switch brought mental pressure
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Distance runner Sawan Barwal spoke about the mental pressure he faced while switching from the 5,000m and 10,000m track events to marathon.
Barwal said his coach suggested the transition. He began preparing for the marathon in 2023 but suffered an injury 10 days before a competition, forcing him to take a three-month break.
“There were a lot of questions in my mind. What if I shifted to the marathon and did not perform? Mentally, I would have felt that perhaps I had taken the wrong decision,” he said.
Barwal eventually made a successful marathon debut in Rotterdam in April this year, clocking 2:11:58 seconds to break the 48-year-old national record of 2:12:00 set by Shivnath Singh in 1978.
He went on to win silver in the men’s marathon at the Asian Games in Japan, clocking 2:11:37 to improve his national record and end India’s 44-year wait for a medal in the event.
Kamaljeet recalls gold medal pressure, injury setback
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Air pistol shooter Kamaljeet recalled the pressure within the Indian contingent before he and Suruchi Singh opened India’s gold medal account in shooting at the Asian Games by winning the mixed team event.
“Silver and bronze medals were coming, but no gold medal had come. We were discussing who would bring the first gold medal this time,” he said.
Kamaljeet, who began shooting in 2019, said government support, training camps and international exposure had helped him progress after entering the national team.
He also recalled an accident in 2022 that left him with a serious injury, with doctors advising at least six months of bed rest. At the time, he was close to making the national team and feared the setback could derail his career.
“I kept thinking, why did this happen now, and why did it happen to me?” he said, recalling how he had trained for seven to eight hours a day while aspiring to become an Asian Games and world champion.
Despite his family’s concerns, Kamaljeet resumed standing within weeks and began practising at home.
“I thought that if I gave up on this dream, what would I do then?” he said.
(PTI News)
