"I know the only thing which I can do is to prepare myself to be the fittest" - HS Prannoy ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024
As the excitement builds for the upcoming Paris Olympics later this year, India's acclaimed men's singles shuttler, HS Prannoy, is gearing up for the challenge. The Asian Games medalist, currently ranked ninth in the world, is one of India’s medal hopes for the Olympics.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Prannoy shared his thoughts on his preparation and mindset leading up to the prestigious event. He also recalled how his performance at the Youth Olympics was a pivotal moment in his career.
Reflecting on his approach to the Olympics, Prannoy emphasized that there is no particular goal and instead highlighted the importance of focusing on the fundamentals of his game and overall well-being.
He stressed the significance of meticulous day-to-day planning, including recovery strategies and nutrition, to ensure his body is in prime condition for the months ahead.
“There is no particular goal as such, but I think, as I said, there are a lot of things that can change in five months, and I think you'll have to be aware of it, I think very careful about your day-to-day planning, how well you recover, how well you eat, and I think those are the things that I'm trying to get back on track because somewhere down the line you kind of tend to forget that these are the basics and you don't touch those basics,” Pronnoy said.
Acknowledging that he was not in his best shape in the last few months, HS Prannoy expressed his determination to prioritize and focus on certain aspects of his routine, especially the recovery processes, to improve and achieve peak performance.
“I think for me personally, it is really important to kind of recover really well post tournaments, post training sessions, and I think, kind of take care of my body in a much better way. Probably I was not really great in the last five to six months, so I think the major aim is to kind of get the body in a much better shape for getting into the next few months,” he stated.
Prannoy acknowledged the unpredictability of results in elite competition and talked about taking not only every achievement but also every hurdle with a positive mindset. He also went on to say that he is incredibly grateful for everything that has happened in his career so far.
“I think it's a journey where a lot of things come to you and a lot of don't come to you," he continued. "I think you have to take everything in a very good way, and I would say I'm really grateful for whatever has happened in my career, and to play at this level at this point in my career, I am really grateful.”
When asked about his goals for the Paris Olympics, Prannoy adopted a pragmatic outlook, focusing on the process rather than specific outcomes. He recognizes that while he can control his preparation and performance, external factors such as results remain uncertain.
“When you ask me about the Olympics, there is no particular aim for me personally because I know the only thing which I can do is to prepare myself to be the fittest, and the rest of the things a lot of things are not under your control. The results are not under your control sometimes, so I'm trying to think in that way.”
Reflecting on past successes, HS Prannoy says that his medals at the World Championships and Asian Games were unexpected. But he attributes these achievements to years of hard work and dedication.
“I think the medals from the World Championships and Asian Games were very unexpected for me personally, but it came through, and I think that's because of the work you have done over the years somewhere you get these results out for you, even if you are late. I think it definitely comes to you, so I'm not really worried about what's going to happen in such a big event.”
He added:
“I think it's important to enjoy this process as much as possible and to work there and train every single day with that mentality to improve. I think that's what I'm trying to do, and I'm very happy that I'm able to do it every single day. I've been really motivated enough to kind of make changes to my body and make changes in the game, and whatever happens in Paris, I think I would be really, really grateful that I've got an opportunity to go out there and play, so I'm not really thinking anything else right now.”
“I think the Youth Olympics gave that window to me” - HS Prannoy on how the medal at the Youth Olympics instilled confidence and gave him a lot of opportunities
HS Prannoy won the silver at the 2010 Youth Olympics held in Singapore. Looking back at his performance at the Games, the 31-year-old shuttler highlighted the success at the Youth Olympics as a turning point that instilled confidence and opened doors for future opportunities.
Winning a medal for his country on such a significant stage provided validation and propelled him forward in his career, laying the foundation for subsequent successes.
"Well, I guess those were one of those tournaments, which I think kind of changed a lot of things for me personally, and I think I had to get a big result that kind of gained confidence, saying that okay, there is hope in playing badminton, to be honest, because there was not much help at that point," he said.
"So I think the Youth Olympics gave that window to me personally, and kind of going out there and winning a big medal for the country at such a big stage, even if it was the Youth Olympics, I think meant a lot for me, and I think that gave a lot of opportunities in the next two three years for me, which made a huge difference in my entire career,” he concluded.