Saina sets sight on London Olympics

Saina Nehwal says the defeat at the Beijing Olympics made her strong.

Beijing: Indian badminton star Saina Nehwal said the quarter-final defeat at the Beijing Olympics made her strong and the dream of winning an Olympic medal could be realised in London next year.

Saina, who participated in Sudirman Cup a few days back, said she was hopeful of winning a medal at Beijing in 2008. "I was very disappointed. I really wanted to win the tournament. Although I was young I always had the feeling that I could reach the finals. So when I played the quarterfinals, I kept thinking of the semifinals. Then I went blank. "It happens sometimes and that tournament really made me strong. Now it is my dream to win the London Olympics, I think I`m on the way, but there is a lot of work to do," Saina told a newspaper.The Hyderabadi said playing against some top players in the world would be the best preparation for London Olympics. "One year is a very long time. We will see how my ranking goes. I just want to play against the top players now, to beat them and gain confidence," she said. Saina had recently beaten China`s world number three Wang Xin in the quarterfinals of the Sudirman Cup and said she does not care about the reputation of her rivals. "I have nothing to lose. I just try to give my best. And when I give my best, I always have the feeling that I can beat anyone. I just don`t get scared by anyone," she said About the Chinese players Sania said they are strong but she doesn`t feel intimidated by them anymore. "But I am getting used to playing against them. I`ve been playing against them during the past four years so I know their games," she said.Readers of an international badminton magazine, `Badzine`, recently voted Saina the third-best badminton player of 2010. She won the most votes of all female players, the daily said in its report. PTI