My success is due to hardwork and discipline: Saina

Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal today said that it is sheer hardwork and discipline that has helped her to reach where she is today.

Hyderabad: Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal on Wednesday said that it is sheer hardwork and discipline that has helped her to reach where she is today.

Asked to name two things that makes here special, Saina said "hard work and discipline" enabled her to emerge as a top-ranking badminton player. The 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro is still some time away but Saina feels that her victory in Denmark augers well for her. When fellow Olympic medallist Gagan Narang asked what changes does she want to see in the sporting scenario, she said,"I want sportspersons to get good facilities so that they can excel in life." Replying to a query, Saina said she had ice cream whenever she won a tournament which she cannot have as she had to maintain her fitness. When Narang questioned as to what would be her message, she said the youth should have "self-belief and discipline to excel in their chosen field. The women are no inferior to men and they can do what they do." To a query on her plans to set up an academy in Bangalore, she said she was offered help by the Haryana and Karnataka governments. Saina said that meditation helps her to keep her mind cool and maintain mental strength. To another query, she said the burning desire to win keeps her motivated and free from fatigue. Narang also stressed that passion and fire keeps the motivation going. PTI