National Sports Day: Athletes reflect on lessons from their journeys

Ahead of National Sports Day, Indian athletes Jemimah Rodrigues, Axar Patel, Praveen Chithravel and Yamini Mourya looked back at the early days of their sporting journeys, reflecting on the lessons, challenges and experiences that shaped their careers, according to a press release from the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS).

India’s sporting journey has grown from the legacy of legends like Major Dhyan Chand to athletes making their mark across various disciplines. Behind every medal is a journey that begins with young athletes discovering their passion for sport long before fame and recognition. Jemimah Rodrigues, Axar Patel, Praveen Chithravel and Yamini Mourya look back at the beginning of their journeys and answer a simple question: “If you could go back to Day One of your sporting journey, what would you tell yourself?”

Jemimah Rodrigues: ‘Enjoy it more’

For many young athletes, the early years are about wanting to prove themselves. The pressure to perform can sometimes arrive before an athlete has even had the chance to understand what sport means to them. For Indian women’s cricket team player Jemimah Rodrigues, a JSW-backed athlete, one of the biggest lessons has been learning to stay present instead of getting caught up in how each innings looks from the outside.

“Honestly, I would just tell myself to enjoy it more. When you are young, you want to prove that you belong here. Somewhere in that, you forget why you even picked up the sport in the first place. I don’t want to think too far ahead or be too stuck in the past. I’ve learnt that one innings doesn’t decide who you are as a cricketer. Some days it clicks, some days it doesn’t, and that’s fine. As long as you’re giving your best for the team, that matters more than any score,” she said in a press release.

Axar Patel: ‘No need to rush things’

That instinct to stay grounded rather than chase every result is something success-hungry sport rarely rewards early on. Careers, however, are rarely built in a straight line. For Axar Patel, another JSW-backed athlete, the journey to the highest level has reinforced the value of patience, consistency and simply being ready when an opportunity arrives.

“There’s no need to rush things; that’s what I’d tell myself. When you’re starting, you want to jump levels quickly. You want to perform in every single game. It doesn’t work like that. Cricket will test you; there will be phases where nothing goes right, and that is part of the sport. You will have great days, and then you won’t have days that are great. I’d just say keep doing your work quietly, stay consistent, and when your chance comes, be ready for it,” he said.

Beyond Cricket: Growth in Other Disciplines

While cricket has traditionally occupied a huge space in India’s sporting imagination, the country’s sporting identity today extends well beyond the boundary. Athletes from disciplines such as athletics, judo, wrestling and boxing are increasingly finding national and international platforms, a shift made possible in no small part by a growing ecosystem of academies and training centres now investing in athletes long before they become household names, giving them access to world-class coaching and facilities in the unglamorous years when few are watching, the release said.

Praveen Chithravel on Trusting the Process

For triple jumper Praveen Chithravel, who trains at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), that journey has meant learning to accept that improvement doesn’t always show up when you expect it to.

“I’d tell my younger self that progress isn’t always going to look the way you think. You can train hard, do everything right, and the result still doesn’t come on that day. You have a bad competition, and it feels like you’ve gone backwards, but that’s part of the event too, especially in triple jump where the margins are so small. My job has always been to focus on executing each phase well and trusting the process, not the outcome. Every season is about getting better technically, physically and mentally, even if it’s by a few centimetres,” he said in a press release.

Yamini Mourya on Overcoming Fear of Loss

The same resilience is often tested even more directly in combat sports, where athletes must learn to deal with both physical and mental setbacks from an early age. For judoka Yamini Mourya, also an IIS athlete, one of the most important lessons has been understanding that a loss is never the full story.

“I’d tell myself not to fear losing so much. Starting out, one defeat can feel huge; you start doubting yourself. But in judo you can’t think too far ahead anyway — every bout is different, and every bout teaches you something, whether it’s about your technique or your mindset going in. Listen to your coaches, break down what went wrong, and get back on the mat. One loss doesn’t tell you how far you can go. I only found that out by staying in it long enough to see it for myself,” he said.

The Common Thread: Resilience and Support

Their answers may come from four very different sporting journeys, but the message is remarkably similar: the making of an athlete is not defined by one match, one competition, or one medal. It is shaped by the everyday choices — showing up, learning from failure, staying patient and continuing to believe.

For Jemimah and Axar, that support has come through JSW’s backing; for Praveen and Yamini, it has come through the training and infrastructure at IIS. In both cases, it reflects the same underlying idea — that giving an athlete the room and resources to grow at their own pace is often what turns a promising Day One into a lasting career, the release said.

That is perhaps the spirit of National Sports Day: celebrating not only where Indian sport is today, but also the countless Day Ones that started these journeys — and the institutions now standing behind them. (ANI)

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