Playing it cool with the Nepalese athletes
As the summer Olympics concluded, the Nepalese athletes were packing their bags, and also memories of the most-talked event of the year: London 2012 Olympics.
Only a day prior to the magnificent musical climax, Sneh Rajya Laxmi Rana, Prasiddha Jung Shah, Shreya Dhital, Tilak Ram Tharu and Pramila Rijal reflected on their stay in London— training, and also touring.
“I thought London would be cold,” said Rana, 18-year-old shooter. “I carried warm clothes, but it’s hot here.”
And weather remained generous in the rainy British capital throughout the games, at least for most of the part and especially for the opening ceremony.
While an estimated 900 million viewers were watching the games worldwide, Nepal’s five best athletes were representing the hopes and dreams of 29 million Nepalese at the Olympic stadium in Stratford.
“I was scared,” said Shah, swimmer and flag bearer at the ceremony. ”I was telling myself I better not fall down.”
They were exuberant as they shared their story of glory, being a part of a historic moment.
While Dhital, 17-year-old swimmer, was trying to catch Prasiddha’s pace in her heels, another athlete Rijal said she was enjoying looking the diversity in the arena. She said she was busy looking at all the national costumes.
“I really liked Nigeria’s,” she said.
But while all eyes were on them, their eyes, Tharu, representing the country in athletics, said he was trying to get a glimpse of the Queen.
The following days, the Nepalese athletes gave their best. They participated in their respective sporting events. They competed. However, they were not successful in taking home any medals.
There is a lot of pressure, and the athletes said they tried to live up to the expectations.
Despite year-round practise in Nepal, they put on a performance and have successfully qualified to come all the way to London to represent Nepal.
“You can’t let that [loss] get you down,” Dhital said. “You have to lose many times to get to this place. I gave it all in that pool.”
Rana, who participated in shooting, said that though she felt she gave her 100 percent, she could have done more.
“There’s always a next time,” she said, determined to fight back.
A confident swimmer, Dhital chimes in and says, “After all we are Olympians now.”
Though not medals, the Nepali athletes said they are taking home memories of the games and the city that hosted it.
Apart from the games, a lifelong memory for all the athletes, Tharu said he will remember his time at Leeds Castle.
For Rijal, she is taking home a fun memory of taking pictures with the wax statue of Cristiano Ronaldo at Madame Tussauds London.
For Shah, swimming in the same pool with Michael Phelps, one of the greatest swimmers in the history of Olympics, during the training sessions is engraved in his memory.
And for Rana, a hardcore tennis fan, her trip to Wimbledon is special.
But more than that, she realized one of her biggest dream apart from winning an Olympic media.
The 18-year-old met her favourite sport stars: Novak Djokovic.
Tags: sports
Categorised in: Sports
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