“I am not the most talented player technically in the world at all. But through grit, perseverance and hard work I got there. So what pushes me is history, and my desire to push my body and mind to see how far they can go,” says Leander Paes in this chat with G. Raghunath.
“For us, this is perhaps our first interview as father-son-Olympic medal winners. There are not too many father-son athletes in the world who have won Olympic medals, am I right?” asked Leander Paes. Yes, he was right.
Father and son winning medals at the Olympics is not a quotidian occurrence. Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn won six medals at three Olympics (1908 London, 1912 Stockholm and 1920 Antwerp), while his son, Alfred, also a shooter, won nine medals in four Olympics (1908, 1912, 1920 and 1924 Paris). Many years later, at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, William Earl Buchan of the United States won a gold medal in the Star Class of sailing, while his son Carl emerged victor in the Flying Dutchman class. But what makes the medals of Dr. Vece Paes and his son Leander Paes special is that they were separated by six Olympics — or 24 years — which is the longest in the Games’ history, both summer and winter.
Vece was the member of the Indian hockey team that won the bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics, while Leander won the men’s singles bronze medal at the Atlanta Games in 1996. Besides, they are the only father-son Olympic medal winners from India.
This story is from the January 30,2016 edition of Sportstar.
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This story is from the January 30,2016 edition of Sportstar.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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