Olympic-bound athletes Manish Kaushik and Neha Goyal have thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a special mention during his monthly radio address 'Mann Ki Baat' on Sunday, for overcoming adversities to attain qualification for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.
Manish Kaushik, who has qualified for Tokyo in the Men's 63kg weight division during the Asia/Oceania qualifiers in 2020, told ANI, "I am very happy that the Prime Minister has spoken about us just before Tokyo. I am very excited. We hope that we will return from Tokyo Olympics with the medal and make our nation proud."
Earlier talking about Manish, PM Modi said, "I would like to introduce you to another player, Manish Kaushik Ji of Bhiwani, Haryana. Manish Ji comes from an agricultural family. While working in the fields in his childhood, Manish became fond of boxing. Today this hobby of his is taking him to Tokyo."
Neha Goyal who is part of Tokyo-bound India's hockey team also thanked PM Modi for his encouraging words to cheer India's Olympic contingent.
Talking to ANI, Neha Goyal said, "Thank you to Prime Minister for talking about athletes and Olympics. This message of yours inspires us all."
"My family has always stood with me and now it's my turn to make them feel proud. Because of Hockey, I can support my family financially," Neha added, while extending her thanks to SAI, Hockey India, and Sports Ministry.
Tokyo Olympics was slated to be held last year, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now it will be held from July 23-August 8 this year. Over 110 athletes from India have so far qualified for the Games and the final number should be between 120 to 130.
( With inputs from ANI )
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