New Delhi, Sep 11 : Harmilan Bains is no stranger to challenges. After not losing a single individual race in 2021, she went through a knee surgery which kept her out for 10 months. Upon her return to action, she went on to win the silver medals in the women's 800m and 1500m categories.

Once a national record holder in the women's 1500m, Bains revealed the fact that she was in depression after failing to qualify for the Olympics and also contemplated suicide at a point but used her situation as an example and sent an inspiring message to the young athletes of the nation.

'My message is enjoy your sport, don't be so stressed, because I was under stress after missing my Olympics. I was almost in depression. Thoughts were coming in my mind, like suicide and just quitting everything, run away from my city. My message to the parents is to let your child do whatever they want to and to the youngsters it is never too late to change your sport, your profession just enjoy whatever it is you're doing,' Harmilan Bains told IANS.

Bains was present at the final of the 63rd Subroto Cup Junior Boys tournament held at the Dr Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi as a guest of honor and hailed the tournament for doing wonders for the grassroots in football.

'I would like to thank the Air Force for bringing me out here as I am enjoying a lot and it's a really good opportunity for the athletes to perform at such a platform at such a young age,' she added

Manipur's T.G English School clinched the 63rd edition of the Subroto Cup getting the better of Meghalaya's Myngken Christian Higher Secondary School 4-3 via sudden death tie-breaker, after both teams tied 1-1 in regulation time.

In the end Bains went on to talk about the incredible performance put on by the Indian contingent at the 2024 Paris Paralympics after the country bettered their previous record, 19 medals at Tokyo Paralympics, by a landslide winning 29 medals which saw the nation finish 18th in the medal tally.

'I am so happy for the para-athletes and it was the first time India ranked so high in the medal tally,' concluded Bains.

/IANS