Even then, some Indian journals scornfully treated her by lifting what the cantankerous Australian Press wrote about her that she was a beer-guzzler, ate too much cheese and chicken and she was overweight. But for the fact that one of her lifts was adjudged foul, she would have bagged a gold. Now India finds herself in the company of Sri Lanka, and Barbados. Even the tribal, war-torn Mozambique has won a gold. With 26 gold and 15 silver China is right behind the US and way ahead of Russia.
Talent is spotted at the age of three and four, whether it is athletics or swimming or badminton.
Then the government takes over the child. Special sports schools, special food, specialised coaching and frequent exposure to international competitions, the child becomes a potential champion by the age of ten or twelve. One small thing about coaching in badminton. When Indian coaches learnt that a Chinese player has to do 500 smashes every morning under the watchful eyes of an international coach, our coaches were aghast. That is the kind of coaching given in China.