Dipankar Bhattacharjee, only the second player from Assam to make it to the Olympics after footballer Talimeren Ao, does not have many regrets. The three-time former national champion, who quit competitive badminton, told The Telegraph that proper guidance would have catapulted him to the elite club in the international circuit, and the Arjuna award, which had eluded him till date, was another unrealised dream.

Excerpts from the interview:

Q. Why did you fail in the international circuit?

A. Bluntly put, maybe I was not good enough! However, I was more focussed during the national meets, something that was missing whenever I played abroad. There were lots of distractions and precious time was wasted in completing the formalities.

On most of my trips abroad, I used to travel alone without a coach, a physical instructor and a sports medicine doctor. The Chinese, Indonesian or Malaysian opponents had the necessary back-up. They always travel in a big team, raising the commitment level. It is demoralising when you have nobody to look to and an ex-world champion instructed your opponent.

Most of my life I trained on my own without proper guidance. My training schedules were based on what I learned in bits and pieces from various sources. It was when I joined the Prakash Padukone-BPL Badminton Academy in 1994 that I did some serious and scientific training. But I was a latecomer to the academy. I hope that explains my failure.

Q. Does it hurt to miss the Arjuna award? Are you expecting it?

A. The Arjuna award would have been an accomplishment in itself. I am not expecting it because expectation reduces the joy. Having worked so hard, it would have been rewarding if the government acknowledged my efforts with the Arjuna.

My achievements are there for everyone to judge. Less deserving players have won the Arjuna, but there are a few who deserve the award more than I do. There hasn’t been a proper yardstick to judge the eligibility for these awards.

Q. Did the Assam Badminton Association or the state government push your case in the right earnest?

I’m not sure.

Q. Why is it that Assam has not produced any good player after you?

A. A couple of youngsters are doing well. A few of them are training in the Sports Authority of India’s south centre and the Padukone’s academy in Bangalore. They have shown a lot of promise. I am sure they will be able to do really well in the future.

Q. What role does the state badminton association play?

A. The association has done well to conduct major events in Guwahati over the past few years. But we need to understand that a sport gains popularity when local spectators look forward to someone from among themselves making it to the top. In other words, popularity of a sport is directly proportional to the number of local heroes or stars it can produce.

Q. What about the National Games?

A. It will be a big achievement for Assam. We need to be focussed to deliver world-class infrastructure and superb performance. As far as my association is concerned, there has been no formal communication from the authorities.

Q. Who was the biggest influence in your life?

A. My parents. My father for shaping my career and mother for making me an individual.