Anil Kumar, part of the Indian athletics team, featured in the discuss throw event at the 2004 Athens Olympics
Participating in the quadrennial extravaganza was like a dream. When I got to know of my selection, I was happy. But the excitement and hysteria surrounding the event caught me once I arrived at the Games Village. It was as if I had landed in some sort of a dreamland! So many people, so many apartments, it was like a world in itself!
I was pretty young when I went to Athens and the very idea of meeting people from the world over excited me. The village was spick and span. Everything was in fine order.
Food was great, the gym equipment was state-of-the-art; we had all the facilities we needed for support.
I was not there for the Opening Ceremony but I heard from my colleagues that it was a visual treat! I was concentrating solely on my event. What mattered most to me then was doing as well as I could.
I did not let anything affect my concentration. I had my goals set. And I wanted to give it my best shot. So till the day of my event my routine was pretty monotonous. I would train, practice, eat and sleep.
But once my event was over, I had a blast. I stayed on for three days and had the time of my life! I cannot possibly describe the experience in words! I was partying till the wee hours of the morning, eating, drinking and making merry! In fact, something very interesting happened during then that I wont be able to forget all my life! I met this really interesting woman from the Caribbean and she became a very good friend very soon!
But it was disappointing to not win a medal. Back home, I upset fans and family too.
But nothing can take away the positives that I derived from my experience.
That I could represent my country at the highest level of sport was an achievement in itself! If I could, I would be a part of each and every edition of the Games. To win an Olympic medal and make the tricolour fly high is my ultimate dream!
As told to Malini Banerjee
