Olympic bronze is great motivation for me: Saina

Basking in the glory of a bronze medal at the London Olympics, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal says it was very tough for her to win the medal in a sport dominated by the Chinese.

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"It was very tough for me to achieve this, because I think in badminton every one knows Chinese are the best; they have like 9-10 players (at the top level). And it's very tough to fight against them," she said, after nutrition company Herbalife felicitated her and M C Mary Kom for their feats at the just-concluded Games.

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Saina said she feels proud to be the first Indian to win a bronze in badminton at Olympics.

"This (winning the bronze) is a great motivation for me and this will really help me do well in the future."

She said it's a dream for every player to stand on the podium.

Mary, who won bronze in boxing, said she tried to win gold but had to settle for third place.

The mother of two from Manipur added that she would try her best to win gold at the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The five-time World champion asked for more support and prayers in the run-up to the next Games.

Saina said she is looking forward to the Rio Games, but there is still a lot of time for it.

"Before that I just want to stay fit and be ready for the upcoming events."

Herbalife India Country Head Ajay Khanna handed over cheques of Rs 500,000 to Mary and Saina.

The company announced a renewal of its brand endorsement partnership with Saina for a year while continuing its association with Mary.

He also announced life-time supply of Herbalife inner nutrition products to both the stars.