Missing a possible gold in the 2000 Sydney Olympicskept on haunting her and weightlifter Karnam Malleswari, who picked up a bronzethen, staged a comeback last year after marriage and childbirth with a singleobjective -- a missionary zeal to raise the bar at Athens.
Now the 28-year-old from Andhra Pradesh isundergoing hard training at the Sports Authority of India, South Centre inBangalore, toget into top gear under Belarussian coach Leonid Taranenko.
"In the last Oympics, in one lift I missed thegold. My performance was such that I could have won gold there," Malleswarisaid.
Malleswari managed a 137 kg lift in clean and jerk butwas declared technically faulty by the judges and the Indian had to contend witha bronze.
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"Somewhere deep within me I wanted to regain whatI missed at Sydney. I want to achieve that in this Olympics", she said,alluding to her return to competitive levels last year after almost a two-yearbreak during which she entered into wedlock and later had a child.
"My aim is to go the whole hog to win the Olympic gold," Malleswari said,but admitted the competition at Athens would be much tougher than Sydney.
"The European and Asian countries have forged ahead,while I have come back after a break of almost two years", she pointed out,but hastened to add: "I have total confidence in myself. I will do betterthan the Sydney Olympics. My complete effort will be to win the gold.
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"There is a chance of getting a medal. I must takea medal. That's why I am training here. Otherwise, there is no meaning intraining".
Taranenko, a former Olympic champion, is not newto her. She trained with him between 1993-95 and also during the SydneyOlympics. "I get 100 per cent help from him", said Malleswari.
PTI
