Learning from India’s near-misses in the Olympics

What drives a small-town athlete to Olympic glory?In this episode of TiE Talks, I sit down with two incredible champions: Viren Rasquinha, former captain of the Indian hockey team and CEO of Olympic Gold Quest, and Navdeep Singh, Paralympic gold medalist. Together, we dive into their inspiring journeys—from small-town beginnings to world stages, and the passion that fuels them every single day.Listen as we explore the role of belief, resilience, and community in creating champions, and what it takes to stay at the top. This is more than a conversation about sports; it’s a lesson in determination for us all!IN THIS EPISODE(00:00) Two Olympians, One Mission – What do champions teach entrepreneurs?(03:00) Fuel from Within – How Navdeep’s unshakable motivation was built.(05:30) The Hardest Moments – Who cheers for athletes when no one’s watching?(07:30) Belief That Breaks Barriers – Viren reveals the secret behind India’s changing mindset.(09:30) Gold Medals and Heartbreaks – What keeps athletes going after narrow misses?(14:00) Picking Your Battles – Why focus is India’s golden ticket to more Olympic wins.(18:00) A Thumbnail Changed My Life – The surprising inspiration behind Navdeep’s javelin journey.(22:00) Hunger vs. Resources – Why the fire burns brightest in small-town India.(26:00) Mental Strength Matters – What separates Olympic hopefuls from champions?(30:00) The Big Dream: 2036 – Could hosting the Olympics change India forever?Viren RasquinhaCurrently Director and CEO of OGQ, a not-for-profit foundation, which supports training and preparation of athletes in India who have the potential of winning an Olympic medal. Olympian and former Captain of Indian Hockey team. Bestowed Arjuna Award in 2005. Completed MBA from Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad in 2009.Specialties: Athlete Management, Sports Management, Marketing, FundraisingConnect with Viren at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virenrasquinha/ Navdeep SinghNavdeep Singh (born 11 November 2000) is an Indian para-athlete and javelin thrower. He won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. He has also been a bronze medalist at the World Championships.Connect with Navdeep at: https://www.instagram.com/navdeepjavelin/?hl=en Prantik MazumdarPrantik is an entrepreneur & venture investor and acts as a Digital Transformation Catalyst in organizations to drive sustainable change and impact.After pursuing a major in Computer Engineering & a minor in Technopreneurship from the National University of Singapore (NUS), he kickstarted his career with the Singapore government (Enterprise Singapore) to drive international trade promotion for the island state.He started his entrepreneurial journey with Happy Marketer in 2011 where he spent a decade building & scaling up one of the best and most awarded independent digital marketing services firm in the region that served brands like Standard Chartered Bank, Income, Great Eastern Life, Royal Brunei Airlines, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Starbucks, Ping An, Grab, Shopee, GoJek, Kimberly Clark, PropertyGuru, PegiPegi, Starhub, Singtel, Nanyang Business School, Kaplan, INSEAD amongst many of its prestigious clients.ABOUT TiE TalksTiE Talks brings to you leadership and venture-building lessons from founders, investors and experts in the TiE Singapore network, a vibrant ecosystem of Asian entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, and industry professionals.—This podcast is powered by CrazyTok: We help experts become influencers by helping launch, produce and grow your custom-branded audio and video podcast channels.