New Delhi, March 12 (NationPress) Despite clinching the gold in the women's 100m T35 category, 2024 Paralympics double bronze medallist Preethi Pal expressed her disappointment for not achieving her personal best time at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix held here. She highlighted that she had been consistently improving throughout the month leading up to the event and is actively seeking ways to enhance her performance in future competitions.

The Indian para-athlete finished the race in 14.46 seconds to secure the gold medal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on the first day of the event on Wednesday. Nevertheless, Preethi mentioned that fatigue set in towards the end of the race, hindering her performance.

“It was my 100m race. I felt exhausted towards the finish line without realizing it during the race. I later reviewed the footage to analyze my performance,” Preethi shared with IANS.

While the gold medal added to her achievements, the athlete emphasized that achieving a good time is paramount, especially with significant competitions on the horizon.

“Winning a gold medal at the Grand Prix is not my only focus—what is more critical is the timing. My ultimate goal is to secure gold at the Asian Games and the Paralympics,” she remarked.

Upon reviewing her performance, Preethi recognized technical errors that are usually absent during her training sessions.

“After analyzing my race, I noticed mistakes that I rarely make in practice. For the last month, I had been consistently achieving personal bests, but that didn’t translate here,” she stated.

Despite this setback, Preethi is determined to implement the lessons learned in her upcoming events.

“I’ve identified my mistakes and will apply these lessons in tomorrow’s 200m race. I aim to improve my drive phase, which was lacking in the previous race,” Preethi explained.

She also expressed that stronger competition could have motivated her to push beyond her limits during the race.

“I didn’t experience a level of competition that could challenge me. While the other competitors gave their best, having another athlete competing closely could have driven me to perform even better. I feel this impacted my overall effort,” she reflected.

Looking to the future, Preethi believes that participating in numerous international competitions will facilitate her growth and readiness for major events like the Asian Games and the Paralympics.

“Currently, our preparation is going well. Competing in various events benefits us significantly. I recently participated in Dubai, and I wish to take part in all Grand Prix events to better understand my weaknesses and improve,” she noted.

“These experiences are crucial for our development and help alleviate pressure. By the time the Asian Games arrive, we will be accustomed to handling high-stress situations,” she concluded.