Rising when you fall | Neha Aggarwal

What do you do when you are on an upward swing in your life, achieving your dreams one after the other with your hard work and dedication, and all of a sudden, life throws you a curve ball? Neha Aggarwal, the only woman in the 2008 Olympic Squad from India for Table Tennis, tells her story of the journey to the Olympics and the weight of expectations thereafter. From learning new things to unlearning her natural techniques and everything in between, what kept her going was he sheer grit and determination, and the dream to represent her country at the national level again! While she is now on a mission to identify and promote sporting talent from all across India to compete with the best on the world stage, she is making sure that she can make the path of the new generation easier by applying her experience. There is a lesson from her journey, not only for the sports persons, but for people in every walk of life - you can definitely rise even when you fall, and you can pull along others too! Neha Aggarwal is an ace table-tennis player with an impressive tally of medals to her name! The only woman to represent India in Table Tennis at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, she has won 4 National Championship titles and over 40 International medals over a span of 13 years. As someone who eats, drinks and breathes sports, she earned Master of Science degree in Sports Management from Columbia University and worked at the United States Olympic Committee and the International Table Tennis Federation. With a vision to making a difference in India's Olympic movement, Neha moved back to India in 2017 and is working with the Olympic Gold Quest in identifying and funding the best and most deserving medal prospects for the Olympic Games. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.