Click to play videoNew Delhi: Ever heard of Neha Aggarwal? Perhaps not. But be prepared to see this name on the back pages soon. The 18-year-old is the only Indian woman table tennis player to have qualified for the Beijing Olympics. And as CNN-IBN reports, the teenager sees it as a stepping stone for greater heights.
"I'm not scared of anything. Obviously, a lot of people will be there. But I'll go and enjoy that," Neha beams at the prospect of carrying India's flag at the Beijing Olympics.
That's the attitude the 18-year-old will take to Beijing. A rookie in the national table tennis circuit, she pipped senior pro's like Poulomi Ghatak and Mouma Das to qualify for the Holy Grail of world sport. Though just a teenager, Neha isn't overawed by the occasion.
"It's really a nice feeling to play for the country and that too in the Olympics, which feels really good. There is always pressure to perform, but I'm 18, and I'm playing in the seniors. So I don't feel pressurised," Neha says.
Naturally gifted with sharp reflexes, Neha took to TT at the age of six, and has never looked back. The four-time junior national champion credits all her success to the unflinching support from her parents and coach Sandeep Gupta.
And the proud coach describes his favourite pupil as "a fantastic student".
A student of St Stephen's College in Delhi, Neha juggles between practice and studies with ease. For now, her sight is firmly trained at performing at the Olympics. And though she will be training under a foreign coach and has a psychologist to help, some minor flaws need to be ironed out.
"The four months that she is here in Delhi, I'm advising her to focus on handling the physical and mental aspects of the game," coach Sandeep Gupta says.
The shock exit of the Indian hockey team from the Olympics still hurts. But Neha Aggarwal, in her own way, has tried to bring back some cheer. And we will be keeping an eye out for her in Beijing.
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