Key Points

"I am currently training for the upcoming Para Athletics World Championships, which are set to take place in Delhi soon. My aim for the event would be to change the colour of my medal, though I am aware that I am not at the same level as I was during the Paris Paralympics last year. So, at present, I am just aiming to hit my Personal Best (PB) timings there and accept whatever the colour of the medal I get," she said.

Preethi had won two bronze medals at the World Para Athletics Championships in May 2024 and later that year went on to repeat the feat and win a bronze medal each in the 100m and 200m T35 race events at the Paris Paralympics 2024. Recalling her experience of winning two medals at the Paris Paralympics, Preethi said, "When I came back from the Paris Paralympics and was at the airport, a rally was taken out from there to my village in Muzaffarnagar. I remember it was night and raining, yet there were nearly 1750 cars behind my car in that rally. It was like people were treating me like I'm some kind of god. People had waited with garlands outside their houses in my village and asked me to give blessings to small kids, and I can never forget that feeling."

During the interaction, Preethi credited the improvement in her performance to her idol, Simran Sharma, and her coach, Gajendra Singh. Talking about her relationship with them, Preethi said, "Simran Di has been my idol since I played my first inter-state tournament and I saw her running there. When I moved to Delhi, it was she who took me to her husband and coach, Gajju Bhaiya, to train me. Though he had initially refused to train me, she convinced him to take me on and coach me."

She then further went on to add, "I have seen huge improvement in my performance since Gajju Bhaiya started training me. In 100m events, even if you improve by a microsecond, it's a huge accomplishment, and with his training, I have improved by dropping nearly one to one and a half seconds, so it has made a huge difference in a very short period of time. And I've seen the impact of that by getting medals at the World Championships and Paralympics."

Preethi would next be seen at the World Para Athletics Championships, 2025, which is set to take place in New Delhi from September 27 onwards.

- ANI