“Sir, is World Championships mein medal jeetna hai.” That is exactly what Treesa Jolly told her coach, Pullela Gopichand, before the start of the tournament. Now, that dream has become a reality, with Treesa standing on the podium alongside her women’s doubles partner, Gayatri Gopichand, the daughter of the legendary coach. Treesa and Gayatri clinched a bronze medal after their spirited fight against the world No. 1 Chinese combination of Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning ended in a three-game loss last week.
Speaking to RevSportz, Pullela shed light on his short but eventful chat with Treesa and how the 23-year-old shuttler was determined to make her medal dream a reality.
“When you speak to the girls, ask Treesa this. She came up to me about seven or eight weeks ago and said she wanted to speak to me. Never has she said anything like this and I was surprised. I felt she had something really serious to say, because she had never before made an appointment like this. Then she came and all she said was, ‘Sir, is World Championship mein medal jeetna hai (We have to win a medal.)’ Not one more word after that, and you must ask her about it,” said Pullela.
For Treesa and Gayatri, the World Championships bronze medal is more than just a podium finish. It is a promise fulfilled, a dream realised.
“I was coming back from injury and had not even started training,” said Treesa. “I did go up to Gopi Sir and said to him that whatever happens, we need to win a medal at our home World Championships. Gaya and I have been discussing this for a long time, and I can’t tell you what this medal means to us both. We used to dream about it and today it has come true.”
Treesa and Gayatri, ranked 39th in the world heading into the championships, overcame three seeded pairs on their way to the semi-finals.
