'Recognition Of My Hard Work, Dedication And Discipline': Arjuna Awardee Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan Reflects On Her Journey

Paris Paralympic bronze medallist Nithya opined that the recognition comes as a token of appreciation to all her hard work and stands as a reminder of all the challenges she had to overcome on her journey to stardom.

Star para shuttler Nithya Sre Sumathy Sivan, who was recently honoured with the Arjuna Award, has expressed her gratitude for the recognition, which she feels is a testament to her hard work, dedication, and perseverance.

“I have seen so many of my co-athletes who are winning awards and are achievers. So getting one of the national awards is something very prestigious. It is a proud moment for me. All the medals and awards are like a gift for me — a recognition of my hard work, dedication to the game, practising every day, following everything, and being disciplined,” said the 19-year-old, who won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

Nithya, who shifted to Lucknow to train under Team India head coach Gaurav Khanna, also highlighted the role her father and brother played in encouraging her to pursue sports. She shared her interest in cricket before taking up badminton following the Rio Olympics.

“My dad used to play cricket with a big team every Sunday, and I would go with him to watch. My brother was a district player, and I also accompanied him to his academy. Sometimes, we played cricket on the street. However, when I considered taking up cricket, there were no female athletes,” she recalled.

“My brother took up badminton for fitness, and I joined him. Watching Sindhu in 2016 inspired me, and my friends and I started playing badminton in the streets. This sparked my interest in training, and I started practising twice a week, gradually increasing to daily sessions,” she added.

Nithya, who recently began training at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, also expressed her surprise at sportspersons being required to apply for national awards.

“When I got a call from my team telling me I had to apply for a national award, I was surprised. I didn’t know that athletes had to apply themselves. I always thought the government would recognise and honour athletes directly,” she said.

“The government supports us a lot, and they must be double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker’s name was missing from the initial list of nominees for the national awards despite her landmark accomplishments at the Paris Olympic Games, which caused an uproar,” she added.

Nithya, who is now eyeing the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, touched upon her ambitions going forward.

“Looking ahead to 2025, the Asian Championship will be one of the key Paralympic events this year. Next year, we have the World Championship. My target is to peak by 2028 Los Angeles Games, so there are no shorter goals now—only focusing on the World Championship each year leading up to 2028,” she concluded.