Aced Asian Games, Harmilan Bains sets sight on Olympic medal

Deepankar Sharda

Chandigarh, October 19

After winning twin silver medals in the Hangzhou Asian Games, Indian athlete Harmilan Bains is now eyeing to perform on a bigger platform.

Interacting with the media here, the athlete confirmed that she would not feature in the upcoming Goa National Games, but would soon join the national camp in Bengaluru. “I am enjoying the fame after winning the medals. Last year (during the injury phase), my morale was low and I was worried about my comeback. Luckily, I got back to track on time and won the medals. I will soon be joining the squad in Bangalore and my aim now is to win a medal at Paris Olympics next year,” said Harmilan.

She backed the state players’ demand for an increase in prize money. “I spent over Rs 20 lakh on my rehabilitation and carried other expenses, including on knee surgery. I was asked to wait for long to get a government job. I somehow managed to overcome these difficulties, but it’s not easy for everyone. The state government should support the players,” she said.

Government support must

I spent Rs 20 lakh on knee surgery & rehabilitation. I had to wait for long to get government job. I somehow managed to overcome the difficulties, but it’s not easy for all. The government must support players. —Harmilan Bains, Athlete

She was accompanied by her mother Madhuri Singh, who had won a silver medal in the 2002 Asian Games. “I missed my Olympics qualifier by microseconds. Athletes these days have better opportunities,” said Madhuri. “It was an emotional moment when Harmilan won the medals. After winning the 800m medal in 2002, I made her wore it. She did the same on returning from Hangzhou,” she added.

City to host national meet

The Chandigarh Athletics Association will host the 3rd National Open U-23 Athletics Championships at the Sector 7 Sports Complex from October 20-22. Many athletes, who participated in the Hangzhou Asian Games, will participate, starting . The association presented a cheque for Rs 20 lakh to Harmilan.