After she won a gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Indian shooter Roopa Unnikrishnan returned home to no fanfare. This lukewarm reception wasn't to be blamed merely on the sway of cricket over our nation. The sports ecosystem, she says, had failed to see evident promise in a prime young talent like her. “I did try to ask for investment in coaching but there was no appetite for it. Imagine what a gold medal winner can do to help the sport grow in the country,” questions Unnikrishnan. After trying her best, she decided to retire from sports. Unlike what many may think, she is happy with her career trajectory over 20 years later.  

Unnikrishnan is one of the many examples of Indian sportspersons ending their sports career earlier than expected. The recently concluded 2020 Tokyo Games has seen quite a few young Indian medal winners in different sports. However, it is hard to ignore the short career span, especially of athletes who are not in mainstream sports like cricket which offers many options from coaching to commentating. The question is what comes next for Olympians and sportspersons such as Unnikrishnan and how important is it for them to have an alternate career plan? 

Roopa Unnikrishnan received a Rhodes scholarship to help her complete an MPhil and MBA from the University of Oxford. Photo Courtesy: Roopa Unnikrishnan

Alternate career plan
Unnikrishnan's father had a keen interest in her sports and education and would talk to her about scholarships right from the time she was 14 years old. “When I discovered that I could shoot straight in centre, I went from 25th in class to 1st in class the next year. In school, I was a debate champion," she recalls.