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Preethi Pal Wins Gold But Rues Missed Personal Best at Delhi Para GP

Indian Paralympian Preethi Pal secured the gold medal in the women's 100m T35 event at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi. Despite the victory, she expressed disappointment at not matching the personal best times she had consistently achieved in training over the past month. Pal analyzed her race and acknowledged mistakes in her execution, attributing part of the issue to fatigue and a lack of close competition to push her. The sprinter is now focused on correcting these errors in her upcoming 200m race as she builds towards major targets like the Asian Games and Paralympics.

Key Points: Preethi Pal Wins 100m Gold at Delhi Para GP, Eyes Improvement

  • Won 100m T35 gold at World Para Athletics GP
  • Disappointed not to hit personal best time
  • Identified technical errors and fatigue
  • Focused on applying lessons in 200m race
  • Eyes Asian Games and Paralympics gold
3 min read

'Delivered personal best for a month, didn't happen here': Preethi Pal disappointed despite 100m gold in New Delhi GP

Indian para sprinter Preethi Pal claims 100m T35 gold but is disappointed with her time, vowing to apply lessons learned for future Asian Games & Paralympics.

"For the past one month I had been consistently delivering personal best timings, but that didn't happen here. - Preethi Pal"

New Delhi, March 12

Even after winning gold in the women's 100m T35 event, 2024 Paralympics double bronze medallist Preethi Pal was disappointed after she couldn't deliver her personal best at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix here, having done that consistently for a month while practicing, and said she is already looking at ways to improve in the upcoming races.

The Indian para sprinter clocked 14.46 seconds to claim the top spot at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on the opening day of the competition on Wednesday. However, Preethi said fatigue towards the end of the race affected her execution.

"It was my 100m race. Towards the end I got exhausted and didn't realise it at that moment. Later I watched the race again to see how it went," Preethi told IANS.

While the gold medal added to her tally, the Indian athlete stressed that timing remains the more important benchmark, especially with bigger competitions ahead.

"In the Grand Prix, winning a gold medal is not the most important thing - what matters more is the timing. Because our real goal is to win gold at the Asian Games and the Paralympics," she said.

After reviewing the race, Preethi acknowledged that there were technical mistakes she rarely makes during training.

"When I reviewed my race, and even others told me, I realised there were some mistakes. These things usually don't happen during practice on the track, but it happened here. For the past one month I had been consistently delivering personal best timings, but that didn't happen here," she said.

Despite the disappointment, the sprinter is already focused on applying those lessons in her next event.

"I have understood the mistakes and the learnings, and I will apply them in tomorrow's 200m race. I will try to give my best there. In the previous race I noticed that my drive phase became very poor, so I will try to improve that in the next race," Preethi explained.

She also felt that stronger competition could have helped her push herself further during the race.

"I didn't really get that level of competition here where someone could beat me. The others also gave their best, but if there had been another athlete close to me pushing from the side, maybe I could have pushed myself even more. Because of that I feel I couldn't give my absolute maximum effort," she said.

Looking ahead, Preethi believes competing in multiple international meets will help her identify areas of improvement as she prepares for major events like the Asian Games and the Paralympics

"Right now our preparation is going very well. Playing in so many competitions is actually benefiting us. I recently competed in Dubai as well, and I want to participate in all the Grand Prix events so that I can understand my mistakes and figure out how I can improve further," she said.

"These experiences help us learn and also remove fear. By the time the Asian Games arrive, we will be more used to dealing with pressure," she added.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
It's actually quite refreshing to hear an athlete be so honest. In a country where we often celebrate mediocrity, here's someone who won gold and is still analysing her mistakes. This self-awareness will take her far.
P
Priya S
The point about stronger competition is so true. Sometimes you need that push from a rival to bring out your absolute best. Hope she gets to compete against top international athletes soon. All the best for the 200m! 💪
R
Rohit P
With all due respect to her dedication, I feel there's too much pressure on our athletes to always perform their "personal best". She won gold! Can we just celebrate that for a moment? The constant pursuit of records can be mentally exhausting.
K
Kavya N
Her attitude is inspiring. "These experiences help us learn and also remove fear" – what a powerful statement. This is exactly how champions are built. More power to our para-athletes! They deserve all our support and better facilities. 🙏
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Michael C
The psychological aspect she mentions is crucial. Performing in practice vs. competition is completely different. The fact that she's competing in multiple Grand Prix events to get used to the pressure is a smart strategy. Wishing her all the best!

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