Ronjan Sodhi: I won't repeat the mistakes of London Olympics in Rio
Double trap shooter, who has been nominated for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, says he is privileged to join Sachin Tendulkar in getting India's highest sporting honour
India's ace double trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi promises that he will not repeat the mistakes of the 2012 London Olympics at the Rio Games in 2016. "I have learnt a lot from mistakes at London which shall not be repeated in Rio for sure," Sodhi told NDTV in an exclusive chat on Tuesday after he was nominated for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.
Sodhi missed out on a medal in London Games last year but bounced back to win silver in the World Cup in Slovenia, beating the same opponents who pipped him at the Olympics.
"After disappointment at the London Games it was not easy to bounce back within a span of month and a half as so much was being spoken about me back home because I went in as a favourite. It was a difficult competition for me to shoot but I wanted to prove a point to myself and many others which I eventually did when I won a silver at the World Cup final," Sodhi said.
That was also his third consecutive medal at the World Cup final after he had won gold in 2010 and 2011 in Turkey and UAE, respectively. Sodhi also won gold at the 2010 Asian Games in China.
The 33-year-old said it was an honour to join the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Viswanathan Anand and Abhinav Bindra in getting India's highest sporting honour.
"It's just an honour to be getting the same award that Sachin Tendulkar won. I am privileged to be in that list and I will keep this award very very close to my heart," said Sodhi, who became the first Indian to win two back-to-back World Cup gold medals.
Sodhi will become the seventh shooter to be honoured with the Khel Ratna. For the third consecutive year, the Khel Ratna has gone to a shooter. Gagan Narang had won the award in 2011, followed by Vijay Kumar last year. Vijay, a London Olympics silver medallist, was the joint winner along with wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, who won a bronze at the Summer Games.
"I am extremely happy that my name has been nominated... whether it came last year or it comes this year as long as you have it in your kitty it's always a great feeling," he said.