Sushil Kumar thanks Prime Minister Narendra Modi for asking media to highlight struggles of India's athletes

Throughout Rio Olympics, Narendra Modi was very optimistic about India's performance at the biggest sporting spectacle.

New Delhi: Days after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked media to highlight the issues faced by India's athletes, legendary wrestler Sushil Kumar expressed his views and thanked him for doing so.

Speaking exclusively to CNN News 18 on Friday, Modi shared his thoughts on a series of issues.

Towards the end of the interview, Modi said that instead of wasting its time chasing politicians, media should highlight the daily struggles of India's sportspersons.

Speaking to the channel, Modi said, "You should select 30 athletes who went to Rio from the Indian contingent and show their daily schedule to the country. Looking at the amount of hard work they put in, it will change the way people in India look at their sportspersons."

Reacting to Modi's statement, Sushil told CNN News 18, "I would like to thank our Prime Minister for saying such a huge thing for the athletes. No other Prime Minister has ever done that before. When their struggles are highlighted, athletes will also get the motivation that they are being watched by the entire country. They will know that their countrymen are looking at them regularly and not just once in four years."

During his interview, Modi said that an Indian athlete trains for 10-12 years before representing India in major events and even if they don't succeed, they do not compromise with the hard work.

Throughout Rio Olympics, Modi was very optimistic about India's performance at the biggest sporting spectacle.