Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) today organized a one-day workshop titled "Achieve Your Potential" for our junior scholarship athletes. The workshop, organized at the Karnataka Badminton Association, was attended by 22 of top junior athletes of the OGQ along with their parents. The workshop covered various aspects like sports science, sports psychology, nutrition, motivation and leadership.
Sports legend and OGQ co-founder Prakash Padukone shared with the young athletes his experience as a player growing up and how he overcame various obstacles to become World No.1. He said, "Today players have got very good facilities and a great support system. It is important for these young athletes to keep their focus, inculcate the right training habits and keep believing in themselves. This will help them in realizing their potential at the world stage."
London Olympics bronze medalist Saina Nehwal encouraged the junior athletes to give their 100% at all times and never give up. Speaking about the event she said, “OGQ has been supporting me for last seven years and I can vouch for how important it is to get the right support at a young age.
“I am very happy to see that OGQ is supporting so many talented juniors. I really enjoyed interacting with all of them. India has got lot of talent and with the right support these athletes can bring glory for India in the future.”
There were following sessions at the workshop:i) Importance of fitness assessments, rest & recovery – Nikhil Latey (Head of Sports Science & Rehab at OGQ)ii) Changing mindset towards growth - Gayatri Vartak (Former International badminton player & sports psychologist)iii) Importance of nutrition in rest & recovery – Tajinder Kaur (Sports Nutritionist)
15-year-old badminton player Lakshya Sen said after the workshop, "Prakash Sir and Saina are my role models and I was thrilled to hear them. The experts busted many of our myths about mental training and nutrition and I am grateful to OGQ for organizing this workshop. I will follow each and everything told to me."
19-year-old pistol shooter Malaika Goel, who won silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, said, "OGQ started supporting me since I was 14 years old and have always been there for me during my ups and downs. Shooting is a very technical sport and this workshop has helped me in understanding what it takes to succeed at the top level."
16-year-old rising badminton player Siril Varma said, "I recently achieved the Junior World No.1 ranking and it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of OGQ. I really liked the sports science session as physical fitness is key in my sport and I learnt the importance of taking adequate rest to recover & rejuvenate."
Viren Rasquinha, CEO of OGQ, ended the workshop urging all the athletes "to give 100% during all training sessions and matches. It is crucial to set clear goals and work systematically towards achieving them." He also highlighted the critical role of parents in encouraging their children to enjoy the process without putting too much pressure to win.
