The medal is only the beginning: How athletes can prepare for the next challenge

By the time you read this, the flame in Japan will have been extinguished. India’s contingent of around 500 athletes will have returned home with more than 80 medals. I’ll be honest. This has been one of the busiest stretches my team and I have had in a long time. Late-night calls across time zones, meal plans rewritten because a heat was rescheduled, hydration tweaked after a weigh-in went sideways. Tiring? Yes. Is it worth it? Every single time.