It is fair to say that when a World Championship, World Cup or Olympic Games nears its completion, almost every athlete is left to deal with the disappointment of defeat. But even amid those moments of despair, there are certain campaigns that stay with you for a lifetime. One such was that of the women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand Pullela.
After an extraordinary run at the Badminton World Championships in New Delhi, the duo had to endure defeat in the last four, going down in three games to the world No. 1 pair and defending champions, Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning.
Despite that defeat, the pair secured a bronze medal by reaching the semi-finals. But their dream run goes beyond winning India’s first medal in 15 years in the women’s doubles event at the Badminton World Championships. It is also about a gamut of emotions.
Treesa fell flat on the floor and Gayatri stood almost motionless, her hands covering her face, after their quarter-final victory. It is hard to imagine the thoughts running through Treesa’s mind as she lay on the court in ecstasy, staring up at the lights of the Indira Gandhi Stadium. The duo then hugged each other, tears rolling down their cheeks.
Beneath those tears of joy lay months of pain and agony. On 1 April this year, Treesa suffered a serious ankle injury during a practice session. She was subsequently diagnosed with two ligament tears and two high-grade muscle tears. As a result, the pair had to miss three months of badminton, including the Badminton Asian Championships and the Uber Cup.
However, Gayatri and Pullela Gopichand, the chief national badminton coach, stood by the distraught Treesa. Incidentally, Gayatri had also struggled with back problems last year.
Here is what the legendary Gopichand had to say after their stunning achievement.
“First Gayatri got injured and thereafter Treesa got injured. They played a Challenger just 10 days ago and came here. To win match after match against higher-ranked opponents isn’t easy, and it was a huge victory for them against the Chinese pair. The win means a lot, and each one of us was drawn into the moment.”
The pair had also not enjoyed the best of results in the recent past. In their previous six tournaments, excluding Challenger events, the Indian duo lost in the round of 32 three times, suffered two defeats in the round of 16 and once exited in the round of 64.
With the pair searching for momentum, they eventually entered the Philippine International Challenge. Winning that tournament proved to be the perfect tonic, giving them some much-needed confidence.
There are a few more layers to their memorable achievement. Gopichand is also Gayatri’s father. Sitting on a sofa, it is once again difficult to imagine what Gopichand must have felt as he watched his daughter add a World Championship medal to the trophy cabinet at home. After the match, Gayatri received a warm hug from her father. As a coach, he also embraced Treesa.
“Treesa is like my daughter and has a blind faith in me,” Gopichand told RevSportz. “She just says, ‘Aap bolo’, and you know she’d follow what I say to the end. For Gayatri, it isn’t easy. The surname doesn’t really spare you in India. At times I feel responsible for what Gayatri has to endure. She can’t help with the surname, and it is not easy to deal with. I have always tried to ensure she enjoys her journey, and that’s why I was very happy for both of them today.”
Gayatri is also the daughter of PVV Lakshmi. For a generation of fans, that name evokes memories of Lakshmi’s rivalry with Aparna Popat. Now, those memories will include a proud mother watching her daughter wear a World Championship medal.
Lest we forget, en route to the semi-final, the duo defeated three seeded pairs. During their 69-minute thriller against fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian of China, the stadium was filled with a cacophony of noise. Not surprisingly, when the Indian duo played their semi-final, the stadium was packed.
Somewhere, their sterling performance might just have inspired a few boys and girls to take up the sport. That, perhaps, is one of the biggest takeaways from their achievement.
Pain. Agony. Distress. Numerous defeats. In retrospect, the athletes we celebrate navigate far more heartbreak than triumph. Sometimes, as mere mortals, it is difficult to imagine the kind of investment a sportsperson makes in pursuit of their goals. More often than not, it can mean returning home empty-handed, with dreams smashed to pieces. Yet they soldier on.
Gayatri and Treesa belong to that tribe. Eventually, someone up there smiled on the duo and rewarded their perseverance. A mere glance at their work ethic and willpower suggests destiny could smile on them a few more times in the future.
The post The different layers behind Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly’s stupendous achievement appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
